Unfinished Business
by Veronyka18
Summary: After getting beat up for the last time, Naruto is currently in a very...unique situation. He now has to help his village, even after what they did to him, he will do so anyways, but wait...Naruto is dead?
1. Truly Alone

I do not own Naruto in anyway shape or form!

So, I decided to edit this chapter once again, and checked for errors. I hope you guys like it and please tell me what you think! This will obviously be an AU, and as for pairings…I don't know, and I don't even know if there will be pairings…so yeah.

So on with the story, I hope this one is better!

Chapter 1: Truly alone

* * *

'_How was I supposed to know_?' I closed my eyes in pain while looking down and away from people's glares is the only thing I can do.

'_It was not my fault_,' I assure myself. A group of gossiping old women start pointing at me and I don't need to hear them to know about what. I round the corner towards my small apartment building and see a group of kids waiting for me.

'_Not again, please_.' I plead.

* * *

The smell of blood floods through my senses. I try to move my arm, but the pain rejects the idea completely. I try to open my eyes and can only see the darkness along with a few stars in the sky.

"Night already?" I ask to no one. I decide to just lay there and relax. Even if I wanted to move, I couldn't. Not because I'm in extreme pain, but because I just can't anymore. I'm tired. I am sad. I just want everything to stop. I just want to lie here and look at the stars. That's all I'm asking for, but of course you never get what you want.

"Get up! You are dirtying the ground," some old man shrilled. I did not move. "Get up!" the old man ordered. Not a muscle moved. "Don't make me get my dogs!"

'_I guess it's time to get up' _I know by experience that whenever those dogs bite, they never let go._ 'That is why I said bye to my right hand._'

I move my arm again, and decide to ignore the pain this time. I begin to support my weight with just one hand and a leg, since the bone sticking out from the other one does not look very comfortable to move. Halfway from finally being almost up without moving my broken leg much, I feel something hit my broken leg making it snap back into place.

Damn it, I had forgotten the old man.

The funny thing is that I cannot really feel it. I can't feel the throbbing, unbearable pain. It hurts but not to the point of screaming and passing out. It just…hurts.

I stand up again and carefully limp towards my apartment, while also ignoring the old man's snickers from behind me.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,...

Eight limps and I am halfway to my apartment.

…9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,…?

'_What was next? Damn it, I know what it is…what is it? Geez so much for memorizing simple numbers…'_ I immediately stop pondering about the issue as another important issue appears. _'What happened here?'_

My apartment is in…ruins. It has being demolished to pieces.

"Why?"

"Because nobody lives there," the old man appears next to me.

"What the… but I live there!" I scream in anger. How could they do this to me? I have not done anything wrong. It was His fault, their fault. The Gondaime Hokage and the Beast inside him that did it, not him! My only place where I cannot see the glares, where I can escape from my tormentors, is now ruined. Why would they do this to me? It is not my fault.

Make it stop…

"Not since the owner of the apartment died," stated the old man.

Cold blood ran through my whole system as I listened to the old man's words. "What…?" I barely whisper.

"It was exactly two months ago. He died of blood loss after getting beaten by a mob of children. Since then, the owner of the building decided to demolish the whole building because he did not want any diseases from the demon-child," Explained the old man calmly, as if talking about the weather.

Then it hit me.

* * *

'_It was not my fault_,' I always think. A group of gossiping old women start pointing at me and I don't need to hear them to know about what. I round the corner towards my small apartment building and see a group of kids waiting for me.

'_Not again, please_.' I plead.

"There he is!" A boy three sizes bigger than me alerted everyone. Tired of even walking, I just stand still there without blinking an eye as the kids approached me. A genin blond boy ran towards me and with a swift punch hits me in the stomach taking the air out of my lungs. I gasp in pain as I see in slow-motion as the droplets of my own blood flies across my face as another boy kicks my face. Everything becomes blurred as somebody else hits me with a metal rod in the head.

_Why?_

A kick to my chin.

_Stop._

Kunais began to slice my skin.

_Please, stop._

I receive more kicks on my chest and head.

_Don't!_

I hear the cracking sound of my ribs braking.

_It hurts!_

A Broken jaw.

_Stop!_

Laughter.

_Please Stop!_

"Die," Someone screams. "Why don't you die?" Others repeat. Someone grabs my leg and with a very strong kick, my knee doubles the other way. I hear a piercing scream but is overshadowed by the laughter of the kids. _Why are they doing this?_

_It hurts_

"Naruto die."

Pain erupts in my chest, as something sharp impales me. Shadows. I can only see shadows now. The laughter dies down. The cries of pain also fade. Everything fades in a world of darkness and pain, and it also fades into oblivion.

_I can finally rest. _

_Will someone miss me? _

_I hope so._

"Just die Naruto, just leave us alone."

"Thank y…" I leave for the cold wind to hear.

* * *

"I remember now," I whisper bringing myself back to the present.

"Yeah, it was sad," the old man said. This completely throws me off guard. I expected the old man to say something like it was fun or exciting, but sad? Why? "When the kids left laughing, almost the whole village stood there surrounding your weak body. They said nothing and just watched you die. Nobody helped; and let your last breath leave you. They weren't happy, nor were they sad. One by one everybody left you alone. Afterwards, as word ran around, the majority of shinobi came to surround your body also, until the Third Hokage came and carried you away." The old man finished.

'_The Third Hokage carried me away. The Third of all people, he was the one who carried me away! Why?'_ Then realization reaches my mind. "If I'm dead, then why am I here?" I ask suspiciously.

"Your body died, but not your soul. Apparently, you still have some unfinished business left here. Until that is done, you won't be able to rest."

_Well, in a way it makes sense, but it…doesn't._

"How do I know…Hey!" I cut myself up, "Why are you telling me this? If I remember well, you were the one who sent his dogs to chase after me. They freaking ripped off my hand away!" I yell indignantly flapping my handless arm in his face reminding him of That Day, as I specifically titled it. "And If I'm dead, then why I can still talk to you?"

"Because, you stupid, I'm also dead," the old man replies sourly.

"What? How? Last time I saw you, you beat me with your cane!"

_How can this be true?_

A look of resignation crosses the old man's face. "Because I killed myself, I was tired." He turns to me and I finally see a weak, sick old man, "I felt guilty. It was also my fault that you died. I hated you, but it was not your fault." Silence invades the space, and I do not know what to say.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing I think of saying for now, although I kind of do not feel sorry at all. He also tormented me and I still resent him.

"Forgive me," he says. "I don't have too much time and you need to know that in order to finally rest, you have to finish your business, your purpose in life."

"But how am I going to know wha…! Old man! You are fading away!" I point at his face and incredulously witness how the old man's face becomes transparent by the time. "What's going on?"

"I guess that my duty is finally done." _Huh?_ "My duty was to inform you."

"But wait! You can't just leave me here!" I beg. I don't know what to do and apparently the Old man is the only one who knows more than I do.

"You are not alone. There are others like you, but remember this, you should not tell them. They need to find out for themselves. Take care Naruto." With that the Old man fades away completely leaving me alone in the dark.

_Now what?_

"If he is now resting, then why he did not look happy?" my thoughts went on as the night progressed. Day has come and I'm still here rooted to the same spot, in front of my ex-apartment building. As people begin to wake up and pass by me, and nobody acknowledges me. Now I'm truly alone.

* * *

A/N Hello Everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction, after so much thought about it, I decided to post something. I know it is not the best, but I had to try. Since I'm about to enter college, I want to increase my writing skills! So, I decided to write a story for my favorite anime! XP

I accept everything. I want, whoever reviews, to be honest and give me constructive criticism! I will not take offense, as long as is not something totally stupid… yeah, you know what I mean! Haha

So please, please, please review! [Sad puppy eyes]


	2. Sensations and Feelings

Chapter 2: Sensations and Feelings

A/N Well, I decided to just write and enjoy :) Although I have no idea where this is going to take me, either way lets go on with whatever my mind creates!

I do not own Naruto!

* * *

Sigh.

Great, now instead of crying from when I was younger, I contaminate the clean air with my deceased made-up breaths. Yeah go me. I guess I really can't do anything. Ever since I found out I was gone…well not really gone, but a goner to the living world, I've done nothing. Although stalking, sighing, and researching is something, right? Hopefully.

Once again I'm walking through the crowded streets of Konoha trying not to bump on people, which by the way it is useless, that is why they call it the busy hour or something like that. Another cold sensation –and another sigh –passes through my left side of my body as another person trespasses me. Apparently my dead-ness –yeah I know I love making up words –not only desolates me from the living, but also prevents any sort of skin-to-skin contact with the living too. Who would've ever believed that this happened? I don't know, probably the Third…but either way I hate this.

When I was younger, not a single warm feeling ever crossed me. Nobody dared to talk to me, unless if it were to insult me, therefore nobody would have ever even dared to hug me!

Like if I ever needed one! Ptff.

But I do sometimes wish that I could be alive again and experience once again the warm feeling of skin on my skin that I felt whenever I 'accidently' bumped in to someone. That warmth that made me feel happy for a moment, even if the one I bumped into flinched away, it did not matter because it felt good. Now I cannot even have that. Nothing. It is worse because I don't get those happy feelings anymore, I just get –I shudder once more as another person bumps into me –those cold-empty sensations.

Three years of cold-empty sensations.

It has been three years since I found out I was dead. Oh and lucky here, because today is my birthday! So as a gift for this marvelous day of what is now my 13th birthday, I will go see what's new… yeah right? Who am I kidding?

For the past three years I have decided to study everything from learning more interesting pranks, history, and other things they taught us during the academy –since I failed the genin exams twice I decided to really learn it this time –and people. And especially a single person, that whenever I see her it just makes my heart jump and thump alive again. Unfortunately I will never have the chance to talk to her. Ever. It makes me feel so impotent, but I can't do a thing.

"Sakura," a cold voice warned the person who I was just thinking of. Why does that stuck-up prick have to treat her like that? A flash of black and pink rushed past me as I identify the owners. The amazing pink-haired girl with emerald shiny eyes chased the black haired emo looking boy through the training grounds. A lanky boy with navy blue hair jogs towards Sakura and Sasuke, whose name is Osaka Satoru. Satoru is a pretty fast learner and very wise. Apparently he comes from a very well-known family out from a very small and isolated island from the northern parts of Iwagakure. The island was supposedly a bunch of rebels who were trying to overrule the Tsuchikage, but unfortunately they were caught and sentenced to death. Only a couple of people managed to escape and divided themselves across the countries to save their skin and this where Osaka Satoru landed.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura cried with delight as she grabbed to Sasuke's arm once again. "How are you Sasuke-kun?" Instead of a response, Sasuke pulls away from her and walks away from his team.

"Just leave him alone Sakura," the Satoru kid interjected before the pink-haired girl began her chasing… again.

"But–"

"He is not in a good mood, so just let him be." He interrupted her again. Naruto noticed that he was right. Sasuke does not appear to be in a good mood. He is almost always like that, but today he looks far more dark and lonelier.

When I began to chase after Sakura, I also realized something else too…Sasuke. He was always brooding about something; he did not interact with his teammates and always wore an emotionless expression, but I know that he hurts too.

Now that nobody beats me up whenever people see me, I began to investigate. I found out that Sasuke is an orphan like me. He has nobody and is sad just like me. I know I should not be thinking this, but it makes me feel happy. I know I should not be happy for this but it feels like we are already friends. I have never talked to him before and will never be able to but I still follow him and especially Sakura like a sick puppy.

Anyways, Sasuke looks more troubled than ever. Something happened and I got to find out because this is what friends are for, right? On a second thought, Sasuke is not the only one; Satoru is a little quitter too. What heck is going on? I should go check.

As I turn around I see three weird looking kids walking towards the biggest and fanciest hotel of Konoha. The only girl has four frizzy looking ponytails, and the oldest of them has…make-up on his face? What the heck? And the last and youngest of them gives the darkest and most dangerous vibe that I have ever felt. I mean, I'm not good at recognizing chakra, but that kid with those dark rings around his eyes from lack of sleep, I suppose, and the tattoo at the left side of his forehead that reads "Love" makes the boy look even more sinister.

They are not supposed to be here, unless…Oh yeah! Of course, the chunin exams! Why didn't I think of them? They must be nearing. I guess Sasuke and Satoru found out about them.

I wish I could attend to one.

But I will never be in one.

Misfortunes, I guess.

"Sasuke, Sakura are you guys ready?" asked the calm voice of Satoru. Nobody answered for a minute. Sasuke began to stare a rock in deep thinking and Sakura's face shows confusion at first, but realization kicks in. I mean she is smart and I bet that she caught the tension in air.

"I don't know," Sakura managed to reply slowly at the end.

"I guess that I don't have to break the news to you," came the lazy voice of Team seven's sensei as he stepped away from the trees. "I only have one question, are you guys up for it?" Why is he asking that? What if they say no? I mean I was there when One-Eye –as I happily dubbed him a long time ago –volunteered his team to the exams. "Here," he began again while taking three slips of paper from his jacket. "If you feel ready, come to this place and don't be late," and with that he disappears with a puff of smoke. So much for a comprehensive teacher, although I know that he is just behind the same tree he was hiding before to check at his team's response.

The tension in the air grew thicker as more time passed by, and nobody felt like breaking it. Instead of waiting for their reaction, I decide to follow the three weird looking kids that I saw earlier and see what they are up to. They were not hard to find since wherever they passed by people kept on stepping aside away from them and whispering. They had just reached their hotel and entered. Fortunately so, they will never notice that I am following them, I guess that is a plus for being dead. They reach their room and an eccentric looking man with half his face covered seats them across from him hurriedly.

"This year's chunin exam is going to be as excited as I thought it would be," stated the half-face man, as I dubbed him.

"Why is that Baki-san?" questioned the only female. "It's not like if we are planning something dirty, right?" laughed the girl sarcastically. Baki shot her a dirty look which shut the girl up immediately.

"Konoha is not only known for being one of the most powerful hidden villages from all," his lip culrs in disgust at this, "but they have a secret weapon that not everyone knows about, or I should say they had." The atmosphere became a little strained as the younger of them stiffened. This does not look good. "There has being two recent incidents here; one, in which we all know was the attack of the Kyuubi. The second is the death of the Kyuubi three years ago." Half-face stops when he saw the shocked faces of the three kids and let the news sink in before continuing. "Some of our spies witnessed the death of a little boy..." This can't be happening, they are talking about me, "…that had the Kyuubi imprisoned within him. Our sources say that he was killed by his own people and now they have been paying up the price. It seems as if for the past three years the village has become something of a laugh to the other hidden villages as the word spread. The death of the Jinchuuriki not only made them the laugh-stock, but also made them become weak. Their ultimate defense is dead and now almost everyone is planning an attack on Konoha. Because of this, the Konoha population is not very happy and has decided to do something that we have yet to discover. As for the raging villagers, they decided to create a special event for the death of their Jinchuuriki, something like a festival. This at least pacifies them; it unfortunately is not the same for the shinobi. I don't know what the festival is but it appears to be interesting, it will become a symbol of 'change'. Um, to celebrate the death of their own, is this what Konoha villagers have converted themselves to? A festival of sacrifice." Ibaki laughed as everyone else remained silent.

They are celebrating my death? Why? Isn't my death enough for them? How come I have not realized this? Today is my birthday and today is the day that I died and today will be the day that I will be a symbol of hatred to the village. Today they will celebrate the hatred towards me. They will celebrate my death. They are not celebrating this day because I was born, but because my death not only caused problems, but because they still hate me. Today is not a day of happiness, but of hatred. Hatred. Towards. Me.

Why does it have to be like this? This day is supposed to be happy. This day is not only supposed to be the day of my birthday but also the day where they are announcing who is going to be in the chunin exams! I am supposed to be with them celebrating this day not them celebrating about me! I am supposed to be getting ready for the chunin exams! Why is it not me? Why did this have to happen? Why nobody likes me? Why nobody remembers me because of me? Why do they have to remember me as something so foul? Why somebody doesn't remember my birthday?

Today is my birthday.

Not my hatred day.

Today is my birthday!

Why nobody remembers me?

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!

I want to run. I need to run, run away from all of this. I can't stand it. I thought I could keep on with my life, but I can't. So I just sprint, sprint away from everything. I have had it! They don't remember me. I don't need it. I don't' need to see this whole thing. I don't need to witness this monstrosity.

Why? Why is it me that has to be in this situation? Why am I here? I am lonelier than ever, I'm more alone than before, Why?

Why nobody likes me?

I feel hot liquid stream down my face and don't really know what it is. Nothing like this has ever happened. What is it?

I stop and finally realize that I have been sprinting for a while. I just feel the awkward-painful burning –but not there feeling –of my legs. The feeling of hot liquid running down my face is just that…a feeling. There is nothing on my face no matter how much I wipe my face with my only hand. There is nothing but just the feeling of something hot. What the heck? I guess that can be considered as blood. I look around and know that this place where I ran into is, I think, one of the densest parts of the forest surrounding our village. Probably the branches hit not only my face but everywhere in my body as I ran. Now my body has the feeling of hot liquid falling… just like when my blood ran down my body when the villagers caught me by surprise.

But why is my face hotter? For some reason my face feels different than the rest of my body. "Why is my face hot?" I whisper to myself. Stupid isn't it, talking to oneself?

"Because you are crying," the voice of a young girl exclaims excitedly. I whip my head towards the voice and find myself in front of young girl. "It's OK you know. You don't have to hold yourself from your feelings." She says as she spreads her arms open wide as if she is welcoming me to them. What is going on? Who is she? How can she see me?

I try to ask her but a choking-sobbing sound escapes from my lips instead. What the…? Am I crying? I am not supposed to cry. I promised myself. I promised that I will never cry because of them. I promised that no one deserves my tears.

"It's OK," repeats the girl. "I promise," she says with a very calm, delicate, warm voice.

I can't take it anymore. So I run. Run, but not away, but towards the welcoming embrace of the young girl that wraps her slender arms around me when I reach her. I can't take it anymore.

"It's warm," I choke, as I finally let the torrent of not-there tears win this time.

* * *

A/N: Well, I decided to keep on with this story, although I have no idea where is this going to take me. I'm not really sure how I did, but I hope it does not suck that bad haha. Anyways, it also seems as if I make Naruto repeat himself a lot, but I decided to let it be. Since I don't possess the amazing powers of a mind-reader, so I just write Naruto's thoughts like if it were mine. Yeah my thoughts tend to be very disorganized haha. Oh well!


	3. Smile

_A/N_: Well I decided to keep on with this story and because I had a few people who alerted this story, I decided to make it as interesting as possible. I already began to plan in advanced on what Unfinished Business could lead to.

I unfortunately do not own Naruto :(

_Chapter 3: Smile_

* * *

_"It's OK," repeats the girl. "I promise," she says with a very calm, delicate, warm voice._

_I can't take it anymore. So I run. Run, but not away, but towards the welcoming embrace of the young girl that wraps her slender arms around me when I reach her. I can't take it anymore._

_"It's warm," I choke, as I finally let the torrent of not-there tears win this time._

* * *

A soft humming wakes me up. I don't know from where it's coming from, but it sounds so heavenly. It is soft and warm but at the same time sad. I don't want to wake up. I just want to sleep, sleep forever. Wait…was I asleep? I thought I was not able to. For the past three years, I have tried to sleep but with no use. The only thing that was close to sleeping is closing my eyes and block out the whole world of its whispers, but I knew I was still awake. And now…I really fell asleep. I thought that was impossible. What the heck is going on? Although, I don't care right now, I just want to listen the soft humming. I think this is the first time I have ever felt so…calm.

I feel safe.

"Ouch!"

The loud feminine voice broke my dreams in an instance. I rapidly sit up and jump away from the voice that was very near to me.

"Who the hell are you and how can…" Wow, I just had to stop. You know, to finally shut up and to really focus for the first time in my life. The person who is in front of me is just a girl of about 15 or 16 years old. She is hunched over. I take in her abundant dark and frizzy hair that appears that it has never being comb in her life. What intrigues me the most is her clothes. Her clothes are just a bunch of rags sewed crudely together with mud and blood marks all over it. For moment I just stared at her, slightly freaked out about her appearance. She looks like a person who killed someone and escaped for her life. I think I should run now before she notices me. As I was about to step back towards the full forest from behind forest, she looks up.

Double-wow and I gasp.

What the…?

The girl who I thought that might've murder someone and ran away, probably has one of the most innocent face I have ever seen! Her big dark-brown almost black eyes stare unseeingly searching around for something. Her cheeks are all sucked in from –I assume –malnourishment. Her face is pale and skinny. Then her eyes focus on me.

"You are awake!" she says excitedly. "Finally, it has been about 5 hours since you fell asleep. I mean it is not a lot, but considering your situation, you did sleep a lot. You know, I can't sleep a lot either, but I don't mind, because I can do more things like that. Just like right now, I could not sleep and decided to sow my clothes because they keep on ripping because there are a lot of branches! But I tried not waking you up because you looked so upset and decided to you let you rest and…Oh no!" OK now, she really is freaking me out. At first I thought that her voice would've been deep like a monster or that it would sound like a screech, but no, well her voice is loud and high-pitched, but it is very sweet and soft. What the heck is wrong with her? And she talks…a lot. How can a person talk so much?

"Oh no!" she repeats again and again. I think I should run now. "Now I woke you up!" The girl stops ranting and looks sad all of the sudden. "I'm so sorry, I woke you up. You were supposed to be resting and I woke you up." She finally stops and puts her hands in her face in shame.

Everything becomes quiet even the signing birds grew quiet too. I don't know what is going on, but looking at her like that, it makes me feel all depressed too. Then I remember.

She is the girl I saw earlier. The one who I ran into and…hugged…and cried in her arms...and fell asleep in them. Oh no! I feel my face getting hot, but not like the time when I was about to cry or when blood was flowing down my face. This was because of embarrassment. By realizing this, it makes me even more embarrassed.

Damn it! I was crying in her arms. I promised myself to not cry again, but by just remembering the conversation of the weird looking kids, it makes me sad once again. Why would the villagers do such thing? I guess my death is not enough for their hungry minds. It sucks. This whole thing sucks. I can't believe it. Was my presence so undesirable? I feel my face get hot and the feel of the warm liquid flowing down my face feeling once more. No I'm not supposed to cry.

I promise myself to not cry.

A small choking sound starts to come out from my lips and can't seem to close my mouth to stop it. The intensity to just let it out hits me so hard, and can't stop.

Suddenly a pair of very skinny arms wraps themselves around my torso. "Let it out," the girl that I had forgotten whispers on top of my head. "I promise that I will stop talking if you let it out. I don't like seeing you sad. So please, tell me your tale. And even if you don't want to talk about it, I'll try my best to at least be useful for once in my life and will try to make you smile. Because you know, a smile makes the whole world smile."

I think that this is the first time that someone holds me like this. It is also the first time that someone talks to me with such sweetness in their voice that it makes my dead heart feel so light. I don't know if I should trust her. She is perhaps just my imagination because of my loneliness. Either way, I think this is my only chance to spill it out. Also I do not want the warmth from her small form to go away.

"I...," I began to say but my mind is blank right now. I know I have so much to say but for some reason I can't. "I don't know…where to start," I decided to say instead.

"Then start from the beginning," she says. "Here I'll help you: What is your name?" I guess that works, but it still takes me a while to answer.

"Naruto," I barely whisper. I wait for another question, but nothing comes. For a second, I believe that she has fallen asleep and left me looking like a fool. My skin begins to feel a burning and prickling feeling by just imagining the girl asleep on my back. I turn around so fast that I make her arms fly away from me and stare at her. She has surprised look on her face at my reaction but later turns into a shameful face. So my guess was right, she was not even paying attention! I start to turn away from her until her soft and sad voice reaches my ears.

"I'm sorry, but my hearing is very bad and I was wondering what you said. I heard "Marto" in which I know cannot be right. So I just stopped and thought about it for a moment if I actually heard right or it was my hearing problem. But then I thought, well his name can be Marto because you come from a different place and I was about to ask you another question along with saying your name, Marto, but stopped again, because then I thought that you might probably get offended if that weren't your real name. I was about to ask you, but then you turned around and stared at me with mean eyes that I even forgot what I was going to ask you…hey but wait, now I remember what I was going to ask you! Ha, seriously I can be so stup…"

"Man, can you shut it," I ask exasperated. "You talk a lot. Besides, didn't you say that you were not going to talk if I tell you my story?" I interrupted her before she began with another of her rants. She just stares at me with those huge eyes of her like an ugly fish with her mouth slightly open trying to breath.

"Oh no! I began to talk again? What is wrong with me?" She then puts her hands in her head and starts to shake her head from side to side, with a probably the weirdest and ugliest facial expression I have ever seen.

"You do look like an ugly fish that I caught a few years ago, and trust me it was hideous," she stops her shaking and stares at me again with another funny face that it kind of resembles a pouting bulldog. The corners of my lips start to lift up making my face stretch in a very unused form, and my face starts heating up again. I weird sensation starts to build up from my chest surging to my mouth and I realize that I am…smiling!

I am smiling!

Then a chuckle escapes my lips and it is as if a-thousand tons were lifted from my dead body. I feel so relived and then another chuckle escapes me and then another one, and then another, until I'm laughing. It feels so good. It feels amazing. I can't believe I kept myself from such treats. The feeling of laughing out loud makes me feel as if my heart beats again. So I just laugh.

I laugh because I feel like it. I laugh because I feel happy. I laugh because I'm not alone. I laugh because the image of the girl as a combination of an ugly fish and a bulldog just makes everything better. A rough, loud screech and weird sound coming from her makes me look at her.

"Dang, is that how you laugh?" I questioned her without malice. She stops and looks at me with laughter in her eyes, it makes me feel warm again.

'"Shut up! I get that a lot," she says before laughing again and I join her. After what probably was like an eternity of laughing. We just look at each other. Then she smiles, a real, huge smile that makes her eyes lit up.

"I told you, didn't I?" she says. I guess my confusion showed on my face, since she decides to explain herself. "I told you that a smile makes the whole world smile, and your smile makes me smile and also makes the darkness and sadness smile."

And in a way, it is true. The sadness and the anger that was inside of me are now overshadowed by the lightness of my heart. I feel so much better now.

"Thank you," I say.

"You're welcome," she replies. "Now, could you repeat your name…please?" she asks shyly.

I can't help but smile. This girl does make everything better.

"Naruto," I say firmly, but a still a little fearful.

"Nice to meet you, Na-Ruu-toe!" she tries to pronounce my name. Really, she does make me feel light and content.

* * *

A/N: Fiuu (wipes sweat from her forehead)! I wrote this whole baby in a day. I was going to add a new chapter next week, but I decided to do it now, because many people put my story in Alert! Man, I was so happy when I opened my e-mail and saw the amount of Alerts that I screamed and woke up my neighbors. Haha it was hilarious.

Anyways, I really hope you guys like this chapter. I was planning to be very angsty, but I was in such a good mood that I couldn't. Just earlier, I went to run 6 miles in an hour to prepare myself for a 10km race , in which is next Saturday and I'm freaking out, because this is the first time I run in like forever! Although I do know that 10km is about 7 miles but still that was a huge accomplishment. So, I went with a light and calm way, I felt Naruto deserved it.

Sorry I tend to ramble a lot just like the new character from my story. I hope you guys like her, because she will be in the story all the way!

Please review and tell me how I'm doing, it would make me so happy! And maybe, I'll wake up more neighbors! XD


	4. Dark and Dangerous

Chapter 4: Dark and Dangerous

A/N: I am so happy T_T that I can cry. My first review ever! Thank you so much Lexi ann fox for being my first review and for correcting me from such an embarrassing mistake 8(. Also thank you to my other anonymous reviewer! Hope I'll get to hear from you guys again (*Hint Hint*) XD.

I also decided to correct some mistakes from Chapter 2 (Thanks Lexi ann fox once again ) which are not that major :/

Well on with the story!

I do not own Naruto

* * *

"_Thank you," I say._

"_You're welcome," she replies. "Now, could you repeat your name…please?" _

_I can't help but smile. This girl does make everything better._

"_Naruto," I say firmly, but a still a little fearful._

"_Nice to meet you, Na-Ruu-toe!" she tries to pronounce my name. Really, she does make me feel light and content._

* * *

I can't take it.

_Laughter._

No matter how much distance I put, I can still hear them.

"_Die again!"_

Please block them.

_Laughter._

Please, make it stop.

"_**She doesn't like you"**_

Somebody help me.

Laughter.

PLEASE!

"Shh," the girl who is cradling me in her arms quiets me down. Crap! I thought she was asleep. I really don't want her to hear me cry, but the noises keep on reminding me from the place where I want to escape from. Thankfully, her arms, her warm embrace, manage to calm me down. After talking for hours, we both fell asleep in each other's arms, right on the forest floor.

A few hours ago I was fine. I was feeling content. It was nice to finally talk to someone about my problems, even if that someone is somebody that I don't know. Not even her name! This mysterious girl who I cannot get to decipher, who I have yet to know her name, is quite…something.

Just thinking about this girl brings a smile to my face. Although for now, her name will be Nameless, I know creative, right? And I thought I was good with naming people. For the past few hours that we have been talking, it not only lifted a-ton of weight from my chest but also brought in my curiosity. I prefer to think about her, instead of the happy laughter coming from my village. The happy laughter celebrating my…Death Day. I can hear them from here.

Thinking of this brings more tear-feelings to my eyes again, and can't stop it. It hurts.

"It's Ok," whispers Nameless. "I'll protect you, I promise." Her voice makes my body relax and once again I'm thinking about her. Who is she? I can't help but ask myself. I wish I could ask, but for some reason it feels like a prohibited subject to touch, so I decide to not cross the line. I have gathered some things after our little talk, but it still not enough.

I know she loves to talk and gets distracted by very simple things…like a lot! But once I started talking about me, she had her undivided attention towards me. She kept quiet the whole time, paying attention, like truly paying attention, not the forced attention, but true attention. A person as talkative like her could not have stayed quiet for hours, but she did.

For me.

It makes me feel very special, but even with her personality; I still could not tell her everything. I could only tell her about the villagers hating me and beating me up. I also told her about how I lost my hand to the hungry dogs that an old man released to chase after me. I told her of the many times I would get bullied by the children and also of the times that I would beat them too, in which brought a laugh out of her. I was little skeptic about telling her about my last beating, but I did so anyways. But the way I described it and the way her eyes roamed to the parts of my body that are still bloody from the beating, I think she has an idea that I'm… different. Even if she has an idea, I still could not tell her about my dead-ness. I also could not tell her about my little friend inside of me. I just could not. What if she becomes fearful of me and decides to look at me like the rest of the people? What if she decides to leave me there, kneeling on the forest floor, alone like always? I could've not handled it.

It would've broken me even more.

_**She is going to leave you.**_

I know that I left to many holes in my story, but just like I know about not asking about her, she didn't press me for answers. We both know that the time will come when we will share everything…wait! I don't know that! What if she decides to leave?

_**She is going to leave you alone.**_

To leave my side forever? No, it cannot be. She is my friend now. Well, I believe she is my friend. I mean she has being really nice to me and helped me, but what if she doesn't feel the same. What if she thinks of me as a poor, lonely, pitiful boy who cries a lot?

No.

My face starts to feel hot again. Really hot. She only thinks of me as a crying kid. She thinks of me like some pitiful creature that needs to be babied! I won't let her. Probably when she was laughing she was laughing at me. She was laughing at me! How could she?

_**She was laughing at you.**_

I think I had enough. I had ten years of realizing that people are not always good and I let her hurt me like this. I let her fool me with her deep dark-brown smiling eyes, and with her boisterous laughter. She fooled me. I bet that her clothes tell me everything. Those dark blotches of dried blood on her skin and rags mean something. Her sucked in skin is probably because she is a soul-sucker. She is not the peaceful angel that I thought she was. She is awful. I can't believe I fell for that!

"Calm down Naruto," she whispers worriedly. Like heck, she is just faking her worried voice. "Are you ok?" she asks, I bet she noticed my switched in behavior. "Naruto?" she says my name as my body starts to shake in anger. She begins to pat my head like a dog and I can't take it any longer.

"Get off of me!" I roared. How could she, that lying bitch. I strip away from her and push her away from me.

_Laughter._

"Naruto what's wrong?" the urgency in her voice and the worried look on her face almost makes me pause on my actions, but no, she is just lying. I don't say anything. I just stare at her with hateful eyes; even staring at her makes me sick. She deceives people. She is nothing but a liar. How could she use me like this. She starts to walk in my direction but I growl at her. I don't want her close.

_**She is using you.**_

"Stay the fuck away from me!" I yell. How could she deceive me? I trusted her. "I trusted you…I fucking trusted you and you lied!" Why? Why is she going to leave me? I thought she was my friend! The hot-feeling runs all through my body. I can feel it. It is dark and it is dangerous. It is not like the feeling when I was crying or when I was getting angry, this is more intense. It makes me feel more powerful.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" she screams, but for some reason I cannot comprehend her. "Calm down!" she pleads.

"Why do you want to leave?" I scream at her. "Why?" I can see her face and it is pure shock. "Answer me!"

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" she chokes out. "Who said anything about leaving?"

"Why do you want to leave? Why don't you like me?" I cry.

"What? Who said anything about leaving? Naruto, why would I leave you? You are the first person who I have being in contact for years!" She looks at me and I know that she looks hurt. "Naruto, you are my only friend and I don't want to leave you, I promise." There they are, those eyes. I look at them and I know they are saying the truth. She doesn't want to leave me! I'm her friend!

_**Don't listen to her. **_

What is wrong with me?

_**She is using you. **_

No, she says that she is my friend, and I believe her!

**Kill her.**

The voices. I don't want to hear those voices again.

**Hear the laughter. Don't you hear them? **

I can hear them.

**They are laughing at you. She is laughing at you. They are celebrating your death. They are happy that you died, and wish you were there so they could kill you all over again. **

"Naruto, answer me! What is wrong?" The voice of Nameless breaks through my paranoia.

"He is telling me that they wish to see me dead again." I cry. "They wish to see me dead again and so do you. They are laughing at me, just like you were doing. Why?" I can hear my choking sobs and can't stop them. The tears-feeling fall repeatedly down my face and I don't even want to stop them. "Make the voice stop," I beg her. "Please make it stop!" my knees hurt as I fall to the ground. I cover my face with my hand and by the tip of my other amputated arm.

"Stop!" the girl screams. "Leave him alone!" She yells again in anger. Who is she yelling at, I don't know, and I bet she doesn't either. The only thing I know is that the voices are fading. They are fading away. Now I'm calmer. "Let him go!"

**Kill**

No.

**Kill her now!**

No!

"Ah!" Nameless screams in pain.

Then darkness.

Pure darkness.

* * *

A/N: I know, in this chapter happened things that I was supposed to put much later in the story, but it just came. Well I was watching WWE and you know how it gets…nasty sometimes. So I kind of decided to go from angst to a little…forceful (for the lack of descriptive word). I wasn't planning this, but it just came. Do you guys know what is going on? Hopefully. If you guys don't understand what is going on, please tell me, and I'll see what I can do. Next chapter, you will see more about Nameless past and going to describe more about the world of Naruto's 'deadness'.

Also, I hope you guys understand that why I put " –feeling " after describing Naruto's feelings or moods. Remember that he cannot feel anything, they are just sensations that are supposed to be there but…they are not. If he is crying, then he feels the liquid (tears) sensation as they fall, but they are not there. Yeah, I have never been good at explaining :/

So Read &Review!


	5. From Sun to Stars

Chapter 5: From Sun to Stars

A/N: I'm so sorry if this chapter does not exceed ya'lls (:P) expectations. I was lacking the inspiration :(

Also, I'm a liar! I promised that you will know more about 'Nameless', but I lied; that is going to be next chapter, Sorry.

I do not own Naruto

* * *

"_Stop!" the girl screams. "Leave him alone!" She yells again in anger. Who is she yelling at, I don't know, and I bet she doesn't either. The only thing I know is that the voices are fading. They are fading away. I'm calmer now. "Let him go!" _

_**Kill**_

_No._

_**Kill her now!**_

_No!_

"_Ah!" Nameless screams in pain. _

_Then darkness._

_Pure darkness._

* * *

"Naruto," somebody whimpers. "I'm sorry, please forgive me," the person begs. Why does this person sound so sad? "Naruto, please wake up!" I can hear the urgency in her voice and it pains me. "Naruto," the voice whispers. It sounds so heavenly why is this person in pain. "Naruto!"

"Umhh…"

"Naruto!" the girl screams with delight as she throws herself at me. "Oh gods, I thought I…" she starts to ramble, which means an immediate block from her. I don't feel like listening. Too much rambling!

Oh, wait. It's Nameless!

"Are you OK?" She asks.

"What happened?" I gasp. Everything hurts…well it feels like everything hurts.

"You don't remember?" I open my eyes and see her incredulous face staring at me. I'm able to see that she is dirtier than before and her clothes are worse for wear. She looks very tired and may probably collapse soon.

"No," I say. "What happened?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" she stares at me with something in her eyes that I cannot identify. Let's see…

…

…

"Umm...I can't remember," I finally say after a long time. That's weird. "OK, let's see again… I was lying on your lap," I choke as I remember. I begin to feel a warm-feeling across my cheeks and hope that she won't be able to see it. Hold on, can it even be seen? "…and I was thinking…"

"About what?" she interrupts me. I feel the hotness fill my face again, since I remember thinking about her.

"Of," I start shyly. "Of you, but not in a weird way, but of a nice friendly wa…"

Friend.

I stop and let the memories surge. I was accusing her of leaving me and of lying to me! I kind of feel bad right now, because she never gave me reason to doubt her. I shamefully lower my face as I remember my attitude towards her when she has not done wrong. I look at her, but her face betrays no emotion.

"What else?" she whispers. For some reason, it seems like if she knows something, but doesn't want to say it. Why doesn't she want to say it? She should really start voicing out her real thoughts! Take back what I said earlier.

"The Voice…and laughter," I gasp as I remember again. Her emotionless face turns into recognition. "It was telling me things, but I can't remember what it was saying," I just remember a voice, but whatever it was saying, it is now a faded whisper.

"It's alright, you don't have to say more." She stands up front her kneeling position and walks toward the small creek to collect some water. That's when I notice that we are not in the same place as before. Instead of the grassy, uneven forest floor surrounded by huge trees, we are now in a small clearing with a very narrow creek passing through a small hill sort of like a small cave, with another hill behind it where the forest starts again.

"Why are we here?" I ask. "Why did we move?"

"Well, I decided since we are two instead of one, then we might need more room," she replies. She is still kneeling in front of the creek collecting water therefore my skeptical expression was lost to her.

"What happened after I blackout?" I ask suspiciously. There is something wrong, I can feel it, but I cannot place my finger on it.

"Well, when you went unconscious, you started mumbling about a Voice and that you won't do whatever it was telling ya'. After that, you calmed down and I decided to carry you here. So here we are!" Her explanation seems logical enough, but I know there is something she is not telling me. For one, she is not rambling. Two, she has not turned around from collecting water, in which I have just noticed, she had forgotten to take the small bowl where she places the water at. Three, she has not smiled, she even looks sad. Even if I don't know her, I feel a special attachment towards her and I know when she is not being herself.

"Tell me," I demand. Something is going on, and I will find out. "What really happened after I went unconscious?"

"Nothing really," she looks sincere. Suddenly, my mind remembers the cries of pain coming from her just before I blacked out. I look at her disdainfully. I probably should not pressure her for answers, but I don't want people lying to me. I've had enough of that!

It may not look like it but fists are not the only thing that hurts.

"Why are you doing this to me?" my question seems to throw her off guard. I don't even expect a reply so I just turn away from her and lay on my side, with my previous thoughts coming back.

She said that we moved here for more space, in which entails that she wants me to stay with her…maybe? I know I want to stay with her, but how can I stay with someone who does not trust me? I don't even know her name, for god's sake! I want to ask her so badly, but I can't, it's a prohibited subject. I guess I have to give it a go.

"What's your name?" I ask firmly breaking the awkward silence, making it far more uncomfortable. The silence lingers for so long that I know that I should not expect an answer. I finally look at her after what appears to be hours, now it is almost time for the sun to set. I can already see the faint colors of orange.

"How long was I unconscious?" I try again. Waiting. I truly hope it was not for long.

"Umm…two hours at the most, why?"

"Just wondering," Her face appears to freeze and saddens, and I don't know why, and I don't care. This day is almost over and I want to see the sunset. I stand up and feel my body hurting everywhere. I bet if I were alive, I would've not been able to stand up for weeks. I inwardly smile: another plus for my dead-ness.

I slowly walk towards the small hill entering the dense forest. For a moment I think that this is a good place to stay, but I really don't feel like staying too close to her. Just thinking of her, the disappointment creeps out and since we are going to be together for a while, I should clear my head from it. So instead I walk farther into the forest going uphill. A few minutes later, there is another clearing at the top of the hill and it is…perfect for today.

This will help me clear my head up. I witness the different shades of orange, red and pink. I remember that my favorite color has always been orange. Weird, huh? When I was little, I have always liked this color. I would always try to get things with orange on it, especially my clothes. Right now my clothes are extremely bloody and dirty, and fortunately enough I'm still able to see the orange from my sleeveless hoodie and just a tad bit of my navy blue short-sleeve shirt, but it looks more black from the dirtiness. I wish I could change my clothes, but I just can't. If I ever try to take my clothes off, I get very panicky and besides, my body has not grown ever since my death, so why bother.

Ever since my death for the past three years, I have looked the same as when I died. I'm still bloody and dirty from the beating from the village kids. I cannot clean my clothes and can't take it off, but I can dirty it further and rip it. Weird, huh? And I still look like a 10 year old, even though I'm 13…well just turned thirteen.

After everything I went through today, I had forgotten that today is my birthday. It's almost over and just as always, I celebrate it alone. I don't even know why I bother. I used to still celebrate my birthday –even if it was alone – I would still do it because it meant another year alive! Another year, where I have survived life, but now what am I supposed to celebrate? How many years I have been dead?

Oh Yeah, Happy Death Day!

Um…why not? It at least makes sense. So I guess that today is my third birthday, ever since I died three years ago. Yeah, that is better; at least I'm celebrating my survival between two worlds: the living and the dead.

Talking about the living, I wonder how Konoha is doing. I know they are having a feast. I believe that the festival is still taking place right now, and even if it is not something I should be happy for, at least they are thinking about me. I might sound very masochist, but…ahhh, I don't even k now what I'm talking about! I run my hands through my hair and feel thick dried blood in it, which brings more questions about the events after my lapse.

This sucks and really bad. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. What if I cannot find my unfinished business, and then what will I do? What will I become? Just a shadow of something that was insignificant. I symbol of hatred. The undesirable. I don't want to live like this. I really don't.

I want to be free.

This day has not been the happiest. I have always wished that maybe one day, the day of my birthday will be happy, but it does not seem like it is going to happen soon. My face starts to heat up with the hot-feeling, and instantly, I know that I want to cry. I want to cry. I want to let everything go, and I want to say goodbye to the old, lonely life that I used to have in Konoha, dead or alive. Once this day is finished, my life will begin again. I have Nameless, right? And I have to let those old times go. And guess what; I just realize that this is the first time I've been outside of Konoha! For some reason, this makes me feel happy. So at least I can say that I'm crying of happiness. Thank gods! I do not have to witness my Death Festival.

I look up and see that it is about 10 seconds until the sun sets.

10

When the sun goes down the stars come out.

9

I know that a new day comes when it is midnight, but I like to believe that the day ends when the sun goes down.

8

And a new day comes when the stars come out.

7

Just a little more and this day will be gone.

6

After all, I don't regret this day…

5

…Because I finally left Konoha…

4

…Because I found out that I can cry, without shedding tears…

3

…Because today, I met a new person who talks to me without insulting or beating me…

2

…Even if she doesn't care about me…

1

…I do.

"Happy Birthday Naruto," somebody whispers.

0

And the stars come out.

* * *

A/N: OMG!

So next chapter, I will have 'Nameless' tell more about herself. And…Have you guys ever wondered who Nameless is? Or why can she see Naruto? Trust me you will never guess! I can't wait to post next chapter!

Ok, guys tell me what you think. And if you are the first five to review, you will be the firsts to know a secret about 'Nameless' that will probably be revealed almost at the end of my story, in which it will be in a very long time. Trust me, this is big time (I mean I'm not going to spoil the story or anything like that) but it's a big secret that it will leave you with more doubts then actually spoiling it. This secret is not even close to what anybody is thinking.

**You can skip this if you want, it is not relevant to the story**! Ok, so today, I just went to run a 10km race! Man, that race was something new. I know that 10km (about 7 miles) is not much, but since I'm not the most athletic person ever, and I only trained three times before the race, it was a killer. I ran for 1:09:22! I mean, seriously, an hour and nine minutes to finish! Man, I was about to collapse! It was lots of fun and although I'm having a lot of symptoms because of the exhaustion, I do not regret it, because it was so fun :).

Also, I was thinking of posting the next chapter tomorrow, even if is not written yet…but because tomorrow is MY BIRTHDAY! I decided to give you the next chapter like a present to you all…from my part…yeah…something like that Haha :P

Review!


	6. Wind

Chapter 6: Wind

A/N: First THANK YOU to Lexi ann fox, who is not only my faithful reviewer but also the only one who received the clue about Nameless.

And please read my A/N at the end of the story, it is slightly important!

Ok, on with my story!

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

…_Even if she doesn't care about me…_

_1_

…_I do._

"_Happy Birthday Naruto," somebody whispers._

_0_

_Then the stars come out._

* * *

The slight tremble-feeling of my body and the raspy feeling in my throat while watching the stars twinkle in the night sky makes me realize the wonders of my deadness. I know I'm dead and I won't be able to go back to the living, but there are some wonderful things about them. For one, I don't have to hide my tears from people. I don't have to shed any more salty burning tears. I don't have to hide behind trash cans or at the rock-faces from the previous Hokages, no, I don't have to now. The only thing that I'm able to feel is the warm hot-feeling of running tears down my face, but nothing is falling. The only misfortune about my crying-deadness is the difficulty at speaking.

Ha, I guess that those suck. I wish I could say something right now, but every time I try to my body begins to tremble and the huge lump-feeling in my throat makes me let out squeaky, embarrassing, choking noises. I open my mouth, but a saltiness flavor-feeling reaches my dead senses. I try to swallow the bump in my throat with little success. I open my lips once again trying to not let those weird sounds come out of my mouth, but instead I snort horribly. I finally decide to go against any sort of speech and decide to just stare at the few stars that are still visible in the night sky.

The feeling of calmness brings my body into a relaxed and slightly giddy feeling as something new starts to build up. I don't know if it's good or bad, but it is definitely something new to me. The rapid warm-feeling of liquid falling like a torrent down my face is a proof of that. I know I'm not dissolving. I'm not crying because of a cut or a broken bone. I'm not crying because somebody went inside my apartment and destroyed everything and wrote my future death. I'm not crying because people talk behind my back. I'm not crying because I'm dead and alone. I'm crying because for the first time ever…somebody remembers me.

The three letter words keep on repeating itself on mind. It is driving me crazy with happiness.

I open my mouth to say thank you, but a laugh of relief makes its appearance instead. I can't seem to stop, so I just let it out. A pair of hands makes their way around me rocking us both and it is not like an embrace of comfort, but an embrace from a person who is celebrating with me.

"Happy…umm…Late Birthday," Nameless exclaims shyly. There! She said it again. My chest starts to feel this weird sensation like bubbles.

"Thank you," I finally manage to say after laughing everything out. "Thank you so much!" I'm not sure if she knows to what extent those words really mean. Honestly I don't care, as long as she says them, I'm alright. "How did you know?"

Nameless stares at me with a huge smile on her face, and right now, I don't even care if I don't know her name. She is everything to me now. This is my new life and I will fight for it. We lie down and stare at the visible stars for a while.

"I don't know it."

"Umm…," I don't know what she is talking about, but when I turn to her, her expression is somber. So much for peacefulness, I think sarcastically.

"I do not remember my name," she whispers. What the heck? I stare at her unblinkingly with what I assume a barely suppressed shock expression on my face. "What do you mean?"

"I just can't remember. I don't even think I ever had a name…" her sad voice dies down. Her face is sad and the light from our previous laughter gone. I have never seen her like this before. She stares out into the sky, but her lost, pained expression tells me that she hurts too. Cases in which she either cannot remember her name or that might not even have a name means that she is just as lonely as I am.

"Can you remember anything from your life?" I ask, but the crease in between her eyes and the slight wrinkling at the corner of her eyes as if she were trying to not cry, tells me everything. For a moment, all of my troubles are so insignificant. I believe that the idea of not remembering who you are is one the worst ways to live as. I mean, you don't know if you have or had parents or that probably your parents might be looking for her or not. You are lost.

I decide to stay silent and not ask questions, this subject seems to be not too welcomed. I knew I should've not brought it up. Geez, how stupid can I get, I mentally face-palm myself. I lay down beside her like we were just a couple of moments ago. Right now, she wears a peaceful smile on her face as if the conversation was never touched, but I know –we know –that it is false. Unfortunately, my dumbness has to get the better of me and decide to ask something else. Well, she is starting to open up; I might as well give her a little push!

"What were you doing in the woods?" I softly ask. I don't want her to think that I'm nosy –in which I am –though I don't want her to know just yet.

For a second, I think that she will not open up and might just drop the subject once and for all, but her sad, bittersweet voice flows in the night cold air.

"I don't remember much, but the first thing I remember was not long ago. I do remember waking up from a sitting position at a rock, far away from here. Since I was so disoriented, I just walked randomly to places," she stars saying. "I passed villages but nobody wanted to help me. The villagers ignored me, and the kids cried whenever they would see me. In one of those villages, I took refuge at an abandoned house, since it was snowing hard." She stays silent for moment before continuing. "The hut that I stayed in barely concealed me and the snow bit my skin painfully, but I learned to ignore it. After a few days, I became very sick. That same night, some villagers came and burnt down the house for some reason. Fortunately, I managed to escape. From far away, I saw the hut turn into nothing, and at that moment I knew that I was alone." Her eyes start to stare off into the distance, so I do not pressure her for more. I know there is more to the story that she is not telling me, but for now this is a good start.

"I did not know where to go," she surprises me as she starts to talk again. "–and knew that going to other villages would result as useless as the last one, and so decided to come to the woods. The idea of living outside did not make me feel safe, but I had to. I did not remember anything from my past but that did not mean that I was clueless of the dangers of the forest. But I had no choice. For a few days, I just walked without a destination, finding myself in very risky situations. I would be dead by now, if it weren't from my instincts of survival." She suddenly turns towards me and stares at me intently.

Her eyes search mine and once she does, her eyes bore into mine making me finally question 'how can she see me?'

"That is what I was trying to hide from you earlier," she finally speaks interrupting me when I opened my mouth to ask her about my previous question.

"Naruto," she whispers my name softly. "You were not unconscious the whole time." She pauses. "Naruto, you begin to attack me."

My mind suddenly goes blank. Those words hurt. Why would I attack her? I know I was mad at her but not to the point of attacking her. Then something clicks in my head, and I start remembering the voices that I was hearing. It was telling me to…attack her.

No!

It was telling me to kill her.

Why? What the hell happened?

"What else happened?" I ask forcefully. I want to know answers and I want to know them now!

"I…I don't know…" she stutters. "You suddenly attacked me and then…oh yeah! You began to get this faded reddish weird light all around you!" she said as she weirdly flats her arms around herself demonstrating the 'weird light'. "Your eyes were not yours… they were not your sad blue eyes, but the eyes of a bad person. Of like an animal." Her small statement brings more shock to my trembling body.

This whole interrogation thing did not help my curiosity; it in fact made it worse. The weird ache in my head tells me of a dead-headache coming up. Geez, it is slightly more uncomfortable-feeling than an alive-headache.

"You were also talking to me," I turn to her surprised, since I don't remember ever talking while out. "It was not your voice though, but it was saying that I was the only one. It said that I know how. But I don't know what it meant by 'you know how', it was freaky. It freaked me out!" Her wide scared eyes make me comprehend and remember things that I hope I could bury.

…freak…

"_Freak,"_ I remember.

"_You are a freak,"_ People would yell at me whenever I walked the streets of Konoha.

I'm a freak!

"The Kyuubi."

"Umm…?" Her sucked in cheeks and her questioning weird-looking face does not even make me want to laugh at her, since the idea of 'it' coming out to try to kill her is not a very pleasant subject.

"The Kyuubi," I repeat. Her confused face makes me explain further. "Before all this, I used to be harassed because of something that was inside of me."

My hands move up to my stomach and remember the thousands of times I did the same thing when I was alive and would always question myself, 'how can a monster so big that managed to almost destroy the village and the cause of many deaths can fit inside me?' About two years ago, I stopped wondering. I used to believe that the monster inside of me was also dead and I would at least not be a monster anymore, but now…now that Nameless tells me all of this, it makes me realize that that might not be the case. He could still be alive in this dead-hole. At least that makes sense, if I'm still here in this world, then so would the Kyuubi. The monster is still alive.

"He is still alive," I whisper. "The monster inside of me is still alive. The thing that attacked you was not me, but it was a monster that is inside of me. I'm sorry. I left you fend for yourself against the Kyuubi…" I suddenly stop my frantic speech as I look at her and she looks at me. We just stare at each other with knowing eyes. I know she knows what I'm thinking. I feel my face contort into an incredulous facial expression and her face turns into a knowing expression.

"How did you do it?" I yell in astonishment. "I mean are you kidding me? How did you survive the Kyuubi?"

"Remember when I was telling you my story?" I nod.

"And do you also remember when I said that the forest was dangerous and that I found myself in very risky situations?" I scratch my head as I try to remember her exact words, and I nod as I finally remember.

"But you never said how did you do it, right?" She nods. "So how did you?" I asked her softly as if speaking to a child. Weird, she is the older one from us both.

"One of the first dangerous things that happened in the forest was when I found myself in front of a pack of bandits. They started to chase after me when I started to run away from them. They managed to catch me since my legs were still frozen from the freezing air and snow. Once they reached me I got mad and started to fight them off. I don't remember how I did it, but I got rid of them and ran away from there. The next day I found myself with a pack of wolves, and I also fought them off. I also found myself with shinobi, and I also fought them. After that, I learned that I knew how to fight. That is how I have managed to survive." Her innocent, skinny and dirty face makes me more aware of her ragged clothes and blotches of blood in her clothes and skin.

"So that means that you are strong enough to fight the Kyuubi," I asked incredulously.

"Well, I'm not sure how strong the 'Kyuu-bee' is, but that damned thing almost killed me. I was so freaking tired after I knocked him down. Well not really knocked him down. I think he let himself get knocked out. Oh yeah, I also remember that almost at the end of our fight, he said, 'you are lucky I'm not going to kill you, because you are the only one,' but because he freaked me out when he said that I hit him hard on the head!" She rants but eventually finishes triumphantly with a smile on her face. I'm not sure what freaks me out more, the fact that she fought with the Kyuubi and lived, or that more things probably happened but she does not remember them. How a small girl like her can do such things, I wonder, as I just notice the feeling of a weird throbbing-feeling like a bump in my head where I'm sure it's where she hit me.

"Naruto," she breaks my thought process. "What did he mean by 'you are the only one'?" Her face is serious and I have the feeling that this is important. This is getting weirder than ever. First he tells me to kill her, and then he lets her go and tells her that she is the only one.

"Of course!" I scream realizing something. "Sorry that I scared you but this what I have always wanted to ask you ever since I found you."

"What? Does this apply to the Kyu-bee?" I don't know why but she just says that word kind of weird, though I nod in excitement.

"How come you can see me?" I finally ask. This is it. Her answer can finally be the answer of this whole Kyuubi thing and my curiosity. Ever since I have met her, I have always wondered! How can she see me? Or even touch me? And she can also hear me!

Her face turns serious and I get more excited by the second. "I…," she starts.

"I don't know," Nameless finally says. Her face is downcast, so she cannot see my face drop. How come she doesn't know? "The only thing I know is that –" she pauses. Geez get on with it! " –it takes me a while to see you."

Ah?

"There are times where I can see you clearly, but there are times where I can barely see you. There are times where you just disappear and your voice starts to fade or I cannot touch you. It is as if you are here but not."

Shit.

I thought she knew.

I guess she doesn't.

"Nameless, do you know why you can't see me?" I ask seriously, but she shakes her head. "That is because –"Crap, Say it! "–because I'm dead."

Silence reigns the space between us and for a moment I'm frightened. Frightened that she will not like me. That she will leave me alone. No, I cannot think like that. The last time I thought like that, I almost killed her.

"It's ok," she says softly. "I kind knew but wanted you to tell me." Now I realize that this is the first time ever that I voice out the fact of my dead-ness. I have never said it out loud not even to myself, and it finally brings some type of peace inside of me.

Silence overpowers the space once again. For some reason this whole thing opens my eyes more to what I'm dealing with. I still don't have answers but I'm getting closer. I sit up from our laying position in the grass –geez we just had an important conversation laying down –and she sits up next to me. We sit there at the top of the hill and see the beginning of the sun rising. I cannot believe that the night is gone! It went so fast. Normally the night is one of the worst times of the day for me. It is so very silent and silence is all I here.

"I don't like the night," Her statement surprises me and as I turn to her, I see that she was already looking at me. I'm not sure if she is staring at me because I'm 'fading' and she is trying to look for me or because she was looking something into my face.

"Can you hear it?" Nameless asks before I could even ask her why she hates the night.

"What?"

"Everything." She looks away from me and stares at the rising sun.

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you hear it?" I shake my head no. "Can't you hear them?" Ok, this is creeping me out a little. "They are whispering. They are crying. They are pleading. They are laughing, crying, yelling, agonizing, they are angry, sad, depressed, happy, content, scared. Can't you hear them? Can't you hear what the wind brings? What the wind screams? What they are asking? What they are pleading?" At almost on cue, a strong-chilly blow of wind ripples the grass around us. While also making our hair swing back and forth freezing us, or I should say her. I could not feel it; I just feel the sensation of coldness.

"Did you hear them?" she asks again with a scared but amazed look. I shake my head no again. "They are asking me for help. They are asking me to help them, but I can't." Her face turns somber and I suddenly feel sad myself too. "I don't know where they are. I have been trying to look for them, but I can't find them. They are everywhere."

"Who?" I wonder desperate. This conversation is not something pleasant. The idea of hearing voices when the wind comes is not something normal, well I'm not normal either, so I guess we make good partners.

"The children, the women, the men, the elderly, I hear them but I can't do anything." She is starting to panic, I can feel it.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because the Kyu-bee said that I was the only one, but as you can see, I can't. If I can't help them, then how am I supposed to help you? Well that is what I think the Kyu-bee wants from me, but I don't know how. I'm so sorry," Nameless puts her face in her hands, and even though I know she is not crying, I know she is hurting for the idea of not been able to do anything.

"Don't be," I whisper softly to her. Afraid she might break. "We still don't know why the Kyuubi said that but we will eventually find out." Although the idea that the Kyuubi might know more about Nameless and that she could help 'us', can also be the reason that he let her live. He knows something that we don't and we got to find out.

I look at Nameless and she is still hiding behind her dirty and slightly bloody hands from what I assume the fight with the Kyuubi. The wind blows her hair making it swing all-around her. The still rising sun lets me see her extremely thin shoulders and her back ribs and spine through her tattered dirty and bloody piece of cloth around her that barely covers her but it is still too big on her. Her dancing hair shines under the sunlight but it only emphasizes the dry, frizzy, broken texture of her hair.

"I'm sorry," she pleads again. And at is this moment, I know that this will be a change to us both.

"Wind," I simply say.

"What?" she slowly looks up from her hiding form showing me her hurt expression and her vulnerability.

"Wind," I repeat.

Just like the way it brings the pleading voices to her.

Just like it also brought me to her.

Just like strong and wild that the wind can be.

Just like her.

"You are not going to be Nameless anymore," I say. "Your name is going to be Wind from now and on." I happily state.

I see that the rising sun not only shows her imperfections, but it also lightens up her eyes and smile as we both know that it made her day. Just like she made mine.

She made my day in the night, and I made her day in the sun. Yeah, we will be good partners.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, I'm so late! BUT I have a great excuse. Finals are so close and man I have a lot to do. Man, I have my Physics, Psychology, Chinese and English finals and projects to do that is stressing me out. So I might probably not update soon, because of this, and guess what? My graduation is coming! It is going to be in June 8th! Also, I was so sick this past three days. Man and trust me, I rarely get sick, and this thing that I had had almost knocked me down, almost!

Ok, I'll stop talking about my boring life, and say that this chapter is the end!

**Nope, I'm kidding! But it is the end of the arc of this story. I know it is quite a long chapter, but I wanted to put things more together. I'm not sure if people wondered how come Nameless –or I should say Wind –can see Naruto? Or what happened to the Kyuubi? So next chapter the story is going to keep unfolding, so expect the unexpected! Haha**

**On another note, probably the way I'm making Wind talk is a little annoying, but remember that she is the rambling type. Whenever I ramble I go from one topic to the next and I bring the weirdest topics ever, so yeah. Also, Naruto might have this sarcastic tone in him, but also remember that he is 13 years-old with no childhood who is trying to be more open and who finds himself in an unknown land.**

**If my writing does not make sense or the way I'm making them interact with each other does not make sense, please tell me! That is why I'm here; I want to improve my writing skills! By the way, this story will try to follow some of the original storyline, but we some weird changes…like Naruto is dead this time!**

**Please! Read and Review because it will give me more inspiration to write and to update more often so please :( **

And I'll promise that I will do Puppy eyes :P


	7. We

Chapter 7: We

A/N: Hello my peeps! Sorry, I took so long but here is the new chapter! I really wish I could speed things up already, but I kind of need to explain some things before getting to the actual plot

So on with the story!

I do not own Naruto

* * *

"_You are not going to be Nameless anymore," I say. "Your name is going to be Wind from now and on." I happily state._

_I see that the rising sun not only shows her imperfections, but it also lightens up her eyes and smile as we both know that it made her day. Just like she made mine._

_She made my day in the night, and I made her day in the sun. Yeah, we will be good partners._

* * *

"Thank you," we repeat these two magic words that have the ability to transfer our true feelings over and over again.

"Wind," she slowly says her name as if tasting it. "I like it!"

And I know she does, as I look at her brilliant smile. Her smile is so wide and bright that shows her yellowish teeth but that does not overshadow her true happiness that she is feeling right now. This probably is her first given name…ever.

"Yeah, it totally suits you!" And it seriously those, I mean, she is like the wind…she is all over the place! This is the most fitting name I have ever heard on a person, other than Sakura and her pink hair, but still. Although now I wonder where I got my name from, well, it's not like if it's very common. In fact, I have never heard the name Naruto before. Where did it come from?

"Yeah!" Wind screams close to my ear startling me and bringing me back to reality. She jumps up and throws her hands up in the air, while screaming again, "Wind!" And just like if it was called, a strong gust of wind hit us pretty hard. I'm sure if I were alive, it could've hurt…bad.

Everything around us goes crazy. The trees lean from side to side as if they were being climbed by a bunch of hippos. Her tattered and bloody piece of cloth moves like if it was hanging on a stick, which makes me notice more of her terrible health. Our hair shuffles crazily, but especially Wind's wild, curly hair covering her head completely with a mass of crazy hair. Because of her insane frizzy hair, I can barely manage to witness her sad smile. Then I suddenly remember what she said about the wind. She has the ability to hear what almost nobody hears. She hears what the wind brings. My curiosity heightens as I try to imagine having that ability. What would it feel like to hear the cry of help from others? To hear their happy laughter or their painful cries, and for an instance a cold chilling-sensation runs all over me as I think about it. That might not be the best ability, as I realize to what that can imply. Just by looking at her grim smile and the crease in between her brows, her wild hair, her piece of cloth ruffling erratically makes me hesitate on that wish. It would be fascinating but at the same time disturbing in so many ways to not only hear your own troubling thoughts but somebody else's too. Which unfortunately reminds me of my previous troubling thoughts.

The Kyuubi.

My mind begins to darken just by thinking about It. I do not wish to disturb Wind's interaction with the unknown, but the Kyuubi is a matter that should be attended immediately.

I walk towards her and put my hand on her anorexic shoulder startling her. "We need to talk things through," I say seriously.

Her wide eyes stare at mine and even though she doesn't say anything, I know she is excited and scared about this. "I know, but first things first," she starts saying as she walks down the hill towards our previous position near the creek. "Tell me about this Kyuu-bee…after we gather some food for the living." She says while running down the hill happily. And for a moment, I wish I could feel hunger once again.

* * *

After frying the fish she managed to catch, I begin telling her the few things I know about the Kyuubi. I tell her about the terrible day when the Kyuubi almost destroyed Konoha and the Fourth Hokage's decision. I tried my best to keep the Kyuubi's subject to just that, the Kyuubi. I don't want to replay the effects of the decisions from the previous two. Once I finished what I know, I realize that I know almost nothing about the Kyuubi. I mean, he is living inside of me, right? I should know more about it! Why can't I just get the answers? Ugh, this is so annoying.

"Ok, recap time!" Wind says after I finish my short explanation. "Sooo, this thing came to your village and destroyed almost half the people and place from your ex-Green-Village, right?" I nod dumbfounded at her silly name for Konoha. "Anndd, this powerful man sealed the thing inside you because the thing was too powerful to get killed, right?" I nod again. "Interesting," she says while rubbing her chin with her index and thumb like if she had a beard. "Although I gotta say that there is something fishy with this whole thing, but just can't put my pinky on it," Pinky? I thought it was 'finger'?

Anyway, I repeat in my head, since trying to follow Wind's thought process will only make me want to laugh instead of figuring this shit out. Unfortunately there is not much humor here. Whenever she says "the Thing" while referring to the Kyuubi, there is some sort of stirring going around inside of me. It's weird and it makes me feel slightly…dark?

"Is there any way you can talk to him?" her question interrupts my weird train of thoughts.

"Umm… I don't know? Or could I? I mean I don't even know how it looks like!" Ugh, I'm starting to get a dead-headache.

"Well," she starts with a curious look. "If It lives inside of you, and it was able to partially come out yesterday –" I shudder as I remember when she told me about the Kyuubi's escapade, " –then there should be a way for you to communicate with him, right?" She half-screamed.

"Yeah, of course," Realization hits me once again. "Of course," I say again stupidly, "before the attack, It was saying things that I knew were not my thoughts. This could be him!"

"Really? What could've happened for It–" another weird sensation in my stomach "–to communicate with you? What were you thinking before it happened, do you know?"

"Umm…let's see…we were talking, wait no! We weren't…I was thinking, yeah!" I excitedly look at her, but her pursed lips and squinted eyes with a look saying 'are you kidding me?' appears on her face.

"Really?" she says.

"Hey don't blame!" I reply indignantly. "I have never been good at remembering things!"

"Ok, Ok…just keep going" she sighs.

"Fine! Ok, I was kind of sad about something and then I heard laughter. It reminded me of the people from where I come from, which made me so mad and very sad at the same time. It also made me feel lonely once again."

Silence followed my statement and I wish Wind could say something. I don't really trust my voice right now.

"Then that is it," she whispers seriously. "Your emotions are the key." I look at her confused. But her statement does not sound so farfetched. I mean it could be true. Ever since I met her, I have felt various courses of emotions that I have not felt before …ever. I used to feel sad and lonely, while now I feel happy, overjoyed, irritated, extremely mad, content, tired, shy, and other weird things thanks to my deadness. This could've triggered something inside of me and caused the Kyuubi to speak to me and to eventually come out!

"Let's try something," Wind says. For some reason her serious tone of voice frightens me a little.

"What?"

"Well first: the key is your emotions, right? Especially if they are strong, right?" I nod again. "Then why don't we do something that can cause you to feel something strong?"

"And how are we going to do that?" I ask a little skeptical…and scared.

"I don't know, what bothers you the most?" Such an innocent question with such a simple but complicated answer that now I have to answer.

"I –I well, you know–" great, now I stutter. Why did I let her come to this? This is a kind of touchy subject to me, and I feel awkward when someone asks about me…about my feelings. No on as ever asked me that. No one has ever cared about me to even talk to me nicely. This is the first time I have ever had a full conversation with someone! I have always been alone that I stopped caring, but now Wind comes and ask me 'what bothers me'? That's crazy. But she is asking me, right? So what does bother me?

"I hate when people look at me," I start off timidly. "I hate when people talk behind my back," I pause thinking about more things that bother me, until a sudden chill runs down my back and I begin to understand more things that bother me. "I hate when they laugh at me. I hate when they glare at me. I hate when they 'accidently' hit me. I hate when they gather around and discuss about me while I'm right in front of them. I hate when they begin to beat me. I hate when they don't let me in their stores. I hate when they chase after me. I hate when they break me. I hate the hospitals because they never attend to me. I hate the stores. I hate people! I hate the council! I hate the hospital! I HATE everyone! I HATE EVERYTHING!" My chest heaves rapidly. A hot feeling sensations runs all through my body making me feel warm. Why do they have to hate me? Why were they so cruel to me? I did nothing. My cheeks have this warm-feeling and I already know why that is. I'm mad, but I'm also crying…again. Shit, why do I always have to cry in front of her? I stop my rant and look at the ground with shame. Now she is going to hate me like everyone else. Like those bastards from Konoha.

Fine, like if I care! But I know deep inside I do care. I do care what she thinks about me.

"Why?" 'Why' she asks? How could she?

"Why?" I yell with rage. "Why? I don't know maybe because they don't like me! Because they think I'm some horrible monster that can attack them again, but I didn't do it!" I know that I'm screaming, but who cares? "They hate me! Can't you see?" I ask. I stare at her face in disbelief but it is expressionless for the first time, which freaking infuriates me even more. "Don't cha see? I'm a monster! I destroyed them once and they think I will destroy them again."

My chest moves up and down, I start to breathe really fast even if I don't need it, and my breathing comes out raspy and loud. At the pit of my stomach, I begin to feel a weird swirling sensation like if my stomach was reaping apart, my muscles start to tense and tremble.

"They hate me," I said in a small voice. "They will always hate, like the monster inside of me. Everybody hates me." Then I brake. I sob and cry.

**Yes!**

I swerve my face towards Wind making my neck crack in the process. She flinched by my movement and stares at me curiously. Her eyes turn frantic as I don't say anything, then frightful wide eyes begin to stare at me.

"Naruto," she steps back and puts herself in a stance.

"Wind, what's g –" then I feel it. The warmth. It is not a nice warm-feeling, but a dark one. It's the Kyuubi! My mind starts to become blurry and my head feels like if it weighs more than usual. I hear Wind speak but cannot comprehend a single word she says. "wazsh haffeni?" I say, and then everything goes dark.

XXXXXXX

I open my eyes and stare at a dark endless ceiling. The stifling warmth makes me want to gauge and my body appears to be submerged in a bubbling surface. This is definitely not the creek where I was with Wind. Wind? Where is she? Where am I? I look around but the red-ish darkness is everywhere. I stand up and –amazingly –it looks like if I were using chakra to walk on top of the water surface. Though ever since my deadness, I also found out that I could not use chakra anymore, so walking like this now is…strange. I turn my head from side to side, but nothing, until a dark chuckle makes my skin crawl in fear. There in front of me is an enormous gate with piece of paper in the middle. Red eyes appear behind the gate and chuckles once more.

"**This really is a huge joke. How could the Fourth seal me in such an insignificant and weak boy? It's disgusting."** The large thing behind the bars concludes.

"Hey!" I yell indignantly. How could he…?

"**Listen you little boy,"** the thing says while rising from where he was. Without hiding, I can clearly see that this is The Kyuubi. His majestic height and his multiple tails –nine tails – make him more freighting than what I imagined. Why nobody ever told me that it was a fox? I always thought that it was some deformed monster with nine-tails, but not a fox? **"Your poor insignificance to the others caused your annihilation. Fortunately enough for me, you are kept in this limbo which kept my existence alive as well as yours."** His aggressive voice brought me back to the topic me and Wind were discussing.

"What do you know about it?" I ask determined to get an answer.

"**Haha, I shall tell you once you take this seal off the gates**," the Kyuubi chuckles darkly. There is something fishy about this. I may be dense but I know that it is not as simple as he makes it seem. "**Hurry up gaki!"** He growled. **"I don't have time and I know you don't have time."**

"Oh yeah? Then what's the hurry?"

"**Just fucking rip it off,"** It growled again as he slammed his head to the gates with such force that the sound vibrated off the walls loudly scaring the shit out of me.

"Why?" I press again but with less confidence than before.

"**Just take it away, so I can bite your head off!"** he once again slammed his head to the gates adding but adding one of his tails this time.

"Ahhh! I knew there was a catch!" Oh yeah baby, I knew it. "Now, tell me what you know about this whole world thing."

"**Don't make me lose my patience gaki,"** he sneered. After a long pause, he says; **"You bastard, look around you. That stick you met knows much more than she lets on or perhaps she is too stupid to realize."**

Stick? I think he is talking about Wind. "Wind?"

"**You really are testing me my patience. You have already realized that she is able to see you and even touch you. Now the question is why." **

"How do you know?"

He laughs demonically. **"I am you and you are me."** A bucket of icy water-feeling falls on me. I don't like those words. **"Do not forget that. Like it or not, I have to be attached to you until I get free from this weak body of yours. Now leave me alone. The more I see you the more I get reminded about the bastard of your Yondaime Hokage."**

"Wait! What else do you – "

"**Leave my presence now,"** and he slammed himself towards me again, but the gate interfere by electrocuting him with some sort of blue chakra. My mind starts to feel all fuzzy and the Kyuubi's red eyes full of hatred begin to fade into the darkness and the chilling-sensation fades.

* * *

A/N: OMG, did anybody think about what happened to the Kyuubi? Oh well…

I know it took me while to update but guess what? I graduated on Friday! OMG I was freaking out …and now time to get another job T_T oh well, I guess that's destiny!

So please review and tell what you really think, even a smile could make me happy :)


	8. What We May or May Not Know

Chapter 8: What We May or May Not Know

A/N: Hello I'm back! I will try to speed the story more so that I could get to the interesting parts! Thanks to Lexi anm fox for reviewing and to others for putting my story in Alert and favorite. It's because of you that I'm still writing!

It is a short chapter I know, but I need to get more inspiration :(

So on with the story :D

I do not own Naruto…darn it!

* * *

"_Wait! What else do you – "_

"_**Leave my presence now,"**__ and he slammed himself towards me again, but the gate interfere by electrocuting him with a blue chakra. My mind starts to feel all fuzzy and the Kyuubi's red eyes full of hatred begin to fade into the darkness._

* * *

"Naruto," a soft angelic whisper sounds from a far distance.

"Naruto," my name is repeated once again but closer this time.

"Naruto!" somebody screams right beside my ear jerking me awake while also shaking me hard. "Wake up now!"

I immediately open my eyes but the stupid sun happens to be in front of me and blinds me instantly from the dead and living world. I groan.

"Naruto are you ok?" Wind asks.

Wind. Crap for a moment I had forgotten about her. Now I know who was screeching in my ear.

"Ahh? What the –Ahhhh!" I began to say but sitting up with your eyes close and with Wind close as well happens to also not be a good idea. I felt an explosive feeling inside my head as I knock Wind backwards with a loud thump. I know for a fact that if I were alive I would've knocked me and her out completely. "Oops sorry," I say lamely. Fortunately for me, I can't feel anything but for Wind… well that's another story. I finally open my eyes and Wind's sprawled form in the ground makes me want to laugh but seeing her disoriented face and reach for her forehead made me feel guilty. I extend my only hand to help her out.

"It's cool, no worries, but dang you have a hard head," Wind laughs. "Oh my gods! We bumped into each other? What were you feeling? What were you thinking? What happened? Are you ok? Did It say anything to you or were you in a dumb moment? Did It hurt –"

"Wind!" I interrupted her before she could worsen my dead-headache. "I'm fine. I actually don't remember what I was thinking. Yes I saw him. He did not hurt me, he tried though. And I think you were right about something." She looked at me confused. "Emotions are the key." I say.

"Yeah I knew it!" she says triumphantly as she pumps her fist up. "So what happened?" she now asks seriously. Dang she sure has rapid mood changes.

"Before I explain everything, what happened to me while I was out?" I panic for a moment thinking that I could've attacked her once again. I do not wish to hurt her like I did last time.

As if reading my mind she said, "Don't worry you did not attack me," with a smile reassuring me. Good and I let out the unnecessary breath I did not know I was holding. "You were just like not here. I mean you were here, but you were not. It looked like if were in deep thought, and nothing I did could've disturbed your thinking process. Wherever I tried to touch you, a burning red chakra would fire at me," Wind explains.

"Yeah, I think that was the Kyuubi's chakra," I explain. "How long was I out?"

"Not long just a couple of minutes, but before you woke up, the red chakra covered your whole body," her hands moved around her body showing the red chakra's journey. "It began to fire everywhere like and it seemed like if you were mad or something like that. It certainly did not feel good. Man, it gave freaked me out! Naruto, what happened in there?"

"Before I begin," I pause before I unnecessarily swallow just out of habit. The Kyuubi's words keeps on replaying in my mind. Maybe Wind does know something or maybe she knows but doesn't seem to realize that she knows something. Ahh, this is so confusing. "Wind, is there something you are not telling me?" I finally ask.

"Huh," was her smart response. She looks at me confused, "I do not know whatcha' talking about." I look at her and her totally lost face tells me that she does not know what I'm talking about. Maybe she doesn't know.

"Never mind," I say. Well if she doesn't know, then she doesn't know. This means that we have to find out. For some reason I feel reassured, because this means that she is not keeping secrets from me. She is treating me like a friend. It makes me feel good.

"Are you ok?" I look at her and her wide worried eyes startle me. She looks at me intently like if she is trying to look from deep inside of me. I guess this is what it feels when you have someone's individual attention. Not even dead or alive someone has ever looked at me straight in the eyes. That's weird, thanks to my death; I finally have someone look at me for real, to take me seriously.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

After telling her what happened with the Kyuubi, we came into several conclusions. One: there is something that we don't know…obviously.

Two: My negative emotions cause me to feel the Kyuubi. The first time I have ever interacted with the Kyuubi was when I was thinking depressing things. This was when, for some stupid reason, I began to think about Nameless, or now Wind, leaving me (in which I began to attack her and somehow she managed to survive… crap I always keep forgetting asking her about that!). The second time, right before this conversation, when she was asking me what bothers me. Yep, negative emotions no doubt.

Three: Our strong emotions causes us to feel, see, hurt, smell, whatever you want to add to the list, each other. I had not realized this, but the first time that I met Wind, I was…a mess. Back at Konoha, I tried my best to not feel lonely and to always keep myself under control until I could not control myself any longer. I ran out of 'home' and found myself in Wind's comforting embrace. Best time to run away. As for the other times Wind also confessed that when she gets over excited (which is almost every time) she is able to catch glimpses of me. She also said that the first time she met me; she just felt a huge solitary emotion engulfing her. She said that she was able to feel someone hug her and when she heard crying, she saw me. It was like a grayish faded shadow. Weird. When both of us are feeling strong emotions, then we can see and touch each other fairly clear.

Four: If this happens with a dead and a living person…then I can also do it with the living world. I could be able to go back from where I came from…kind of.

I can go back.

* * *

A/N: I know this is too short after a long absence, but I've been very busy. You know why? I got a job! I'm a housekeeper at a hotel and it's fun…but it sucks at the majority of the time. Cleaning toilets is not fun at all :(

Anyways I finally did this chapter! Even though it came out differently than what I had in mind. It is not the best chapter, but at least it is something. For some reason, I also haven't had much inspiration lately…perhaps some reviews or comments (as it has recently changed to) could inspire me… :P

Now next chapter, I will try to speed things up. 'Cuase I want some action!


	9. Flapping and Splashing

Chapter 9: Flapping and Splashing

I'm so sorry! I had a huge case of writer's block!

First, thanks to my anonymous reviewer David who had me squealing with his amazing review! It brought me so much inspiration that I decided to write immediately! …kind of

Also thanks to Mrs. Kitsune for reviewing! You guys made my day :D

I was going to post this chapter sooner BUT I decided to go back to my previous chapters and corrected some of my errors. By doing this, I realized that I have left many unanswered question, but they will be answered eventually.

On another note, I'm not sure how people feel about cussing, but for some reason the story cannot really be true (well as true as it can get) if there weren't any cussing. It may sound vulgar, but in reality people cuss all the time. Some do it just to sound "cool" but there are people who cuss because that is the only way they can show their true feelings and emotions about some things…well that's what my psychology teacher said, and I guess I can find some truth to that! So I hope that you guys don't mind. If you are uncomfortable with it, you can send me a message and I can try to minimize it. Although the cussing in here is going to be mild… you know, not very strong or very vulgar!

Also, I re-wrote this chapter because the one that I had posted previously was not what I was looking for. It did not lead to what I wanted to lead. It was bad. Even though this chapter it is slightly better, I'm still not happy with it. Oh well, I tried. I just hope you guys like it and understand it. :D

Now on with the story!

I do not own Naruto :(

* * *

_She also said that the first time she met me; she just felt a huge solitary emotion engulfing her. She said that she was able to feel someone hug her and when she heard crying, she saw me. It was like a grayish faded shadow. Weird. When both of us are feeling strong emotions, then we can see and touch each other fairly clear. _

_Four: If this happens with a dead and a living person…then I can also do it with the living world. I could be able to back from where I came from…kind of._

_I can go back!_

* * *

Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy freaking gods! I can go back!

Shit! I can go back! Well not really go back in body, but I guess I can go back in…soul-shaped-body-kind-of-thing…? I don't even know what I am now.

Ok, let's see, backtrack, backtrack.

Shit I can't think of nothing else other than: I can go back.

I can go back!

Damn!

"Naruto?" Wind speaks softly behind me. I turn to her she stares directly at me instead of trying to pinpoint my location. I guess my excitement is palpable. A huge smile spreads across my face. Seriously, I can even feel the way it stretches my face out so much that I bet I look weird. But who cares? The only thing I care is about this marvelous news!

"Wind, do you know what this means?" I ask her excitedly. "Do you know?" I press on. Her face turns into a frown. I bet she is thinking hard! "So are you guessing?" I keep pressing on while rocking myself up and down at the balls of my feet. My fist clenches and unclenches. For some damn reason, I have to keep rotating my jaw, liking the sound of the way it cracks because of the dislocation that I suffered from the beat up that caused my death, which also makes me feel it numbly painful. I bet it would've hurt if I were alive, but I'm not!

Why doesn't she freaking answer?

Dang it, I can't keep still. I have to do something. I start to pace around our camping place. There is not much to look at other than dense trees, a lot of dirt, small hills, grass, and a very, small, noisy and transparent creek, where you are able to see very-sharp-looking-covered-with-moss rocks from the clear water running through some sort of cave looking hill and the different sizes of fish swimming and chasing each other around. Just staring at those fish makes my smile stretch even further. They are all following each other and that is exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to follow the kids my age and become a ninja. This is what I want and what I wish. I want to follow and I want them to chase me. Why can't Wind see that? Why can't she understand that I can go back and to finally be free?

As I wait for Wind to finally understand, I watch the fish with fascination. They are indeed splendid creatures. They may not the same capability of a human, but they do have the same survival tendencies. They eat. They swim. They mate. They sleep… kind of. Some fish eat other small fish, or small mammals. They have the ability to swim and float around and sink and float whenever they get bored. They mate, somehow, the female lays eggs and the male fertilizes them, or that's what I heard the fishermen say and supposedly there are other ways to reproduce. Without them, many people would starve to death, because fish are their only source of food. And since they can reproduce fast and in great amounts (well depends on what type of fish we are talking about too), the fish are heavily populated in certain place, managing to keep people alive and healthy.

Ever since my death, I used to compare myself to a small fish. I used to watch them every single day, when I would get bored. And believe it or not, they do sleep. Not like how I used to sleep, but like how I sleep in my dead form. They have resting periods and since they don't have eyelids many people believe that they don't sleep. Crazy, isn't it? Some fish hide themselves in behind rocks, fallen trees and other things, so that their predators won't find them while they sleep, just like I used to do it. I would sometimes sleep behind a dumpster or an abandoned place, and then I would know that I could rest with one eye open for anyone finding me and stoning me. Other fish whenever they are resting, they just float in the open water, but because every fish are light sleepers, if they sense danger, they "wake up" and would swim away. Interesting huh? I don't like when people think that they don't sleep, they do they just don't show it. I also sleep; I found that out when I cried myself in the arms of Wind. I thought I only had the ability to rest and close my eyes and block the world, but I can also sleep, and have to figure out why I can. Fish sleep because they have to restore their energy, but also because they are alive, and I am not.

I look back at Wind, but she is staring at the ground pensively. The fish have now gathered in a small crowd, and just then I realize that sometimes life is not always wonderful to everyone, because not all fish are together. There is one small, frail-looking fish that is not in the 'crowd' that out of the water close to my feet. It is surrounded by big rocks trapping the fish completely with just a meager amount of water where it is at. The fish tries to break free by flapping incessantly making the small amount of water splash all over the place and on my face decreasing its supply of water even further. He is trying to save himself. But can't. It is completely trapped.

"Naruto," Wind finally calls for my attention. Her voice does not sound amazed or full of joy like I wish she would, so I could stop observing the fish flapping. Just by the way she said my name; I know that we are closing at a touchy subject. I don't want to face her and see her pitiful stare nor do I want to keep looking at the splashing fish. Instead, I look up at the cloudless sky. It's better. It's empty of emotions.

"I don't want to hear it," I finally say before the silence prolongs even further. The sky is blue. A very simple, pale blue, that is almost sad, but reassuring in a way.

"Please listen," she pleads. I don't want to hear what I know is going to come out from her truthful lips. "Do you really think that that is the best idea?"

"Please don't –"

"Listen," her sudden firm voice stops me from saying anything else. I have never heard her voice turn like that before, well maybe because I have only met her for two days, but still, it is kind of demanding and…freighting. It sounds like the way some teachers reprimanded their students when they were in trouble. "Do you really think that going over there and stating 'I'm here!' will be like happiness?" I don't say anything and keep staring at the lonely blue sky that is on top of us, but her voice and the urgent flapping noises keeps me from _not _think. "I'm so sorry to break this to you, but-" she breaks off as she takes a deep breath and continues, "–knowing what you have said about your –umm, your –neighbors from your Green-village, I don't really think they would appreciate you being alive." There she said it.

Alive. Yep, that is why all the trouble begun in the first place, because I was alive.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you know that that's true." Of course I know that's true! How could I ever forget of my life in 'Green-village'?

I decide to finally look away from the sky and while also trying to block out the still persistent noise between scales and wet rocks, I look directly at her. I see her, but I know she can barely see me. Her eyes are scanning somewhere between my ear and somewhere to my left.

I wonder why? I ask myself sarcastically. I have gone back to my dead-mode. The facet which I can practically block every single thing that involves the outside dead and alive world… from me. Basically, I feel nothing. This was the only way to keep me sane from what has happened. Thanks to this emotion, or lack thereof, I have survived. Cool hah? I learnt to do that after so many years of practice. I bet she is not able to see me now.

"Naruto?" she keeps on prying.

"I have nothing to say," and that's true. What should I say? Or what does she wants me to do? She wants me to cry? Well I would've done so if I weren't into my dead-mode. Does she want me to scream and destroy everything in my path while letting the Kyuubi out? Yeah right, I wouldn't do that even if I were that mad.

"Naruto?" Man this is getting so irritating. Why can't she understand? "Naruto?"

"What do you want?" I hiss dryly, because apparently ignoring her will not shut her up.

"Naruto? Are you there? I can't –I can't hear you!" Now her face becomes frantic and her eyes try to search for mine. Her voice is strangled with emotion. She turns around and starts to search for me again. "Are you still here? Please answer me!" Wind yells while running around our little camp. "Don't leave. Please, don't leave me here!" Her voice is broken, but I don't care. "Naruto, please don't leave me alone," she cries and her arms are out stretched looking for any type of contact with another human-dead-body. Unfortunately she is several feet away from me and facing away as well. She will never find me. How pitiful.

I have absolute no intention to speak. I have no problems with just standing here and watch her mediocre form look for me. Her obnoxious, scared face, her short and raspy breaths, her running around searching every single space from this clearing for me, her stumbling over some of her bowls and pots for water and food, her falling over the small creek with a loud yelp coming from her, watching her hit her face with one of those sharp rocks splitting her forehead open, do nothing to me. Not even her limp form getting drench with the almost pink water from her blood. Her face is submerged in the water and it has not come up. Her still form is not moving. The water is now running red. Her tattered piece of cloth is wet and hugs her lithe form. I see nothing. I don't feel anything. Why? Why is everything so dark and foggy? Who is injured? Why can't I see that someone is injured? Why can't I feel?

Because I decided to not feel.

Splash.

I snap. I _open_ my eyes. Everything comes surging in and everything starts to process in my mind. What's going on? It feels like a long time. The sun blinds me. The flapping noise becomes louder and frequent. What happened?

Shit!

What happened to me? Why did I treat her like that? She didn't deserve it!

This is Wind. This is not the stupid people from Konoha that didn't give a damn about me. This is her. My entrails feel weird. My chest rises up and down from the force of my unnecessary breaths. My throat contracts as I begin to see her move just a little but still I don't go and help her. Her way too skinny arms push up against the floor of the small creek and I see her palms get cut open from the sharpness of the rock tainting the water even more. Her head comes up in a rapid motion splashing red-colored water in a form of a circle with her hair staining the grass with blood from the water's surface and with a big sucking of breath she starts to cough up water and breathes once again. I walk slowly towards her but she is still facing away from me. Once I get near her and see her open wounds, it disgusts me. Not because of her wounds but at myself.

Her face is covered in blood and dirt from the water's dirty and rocky ground. Her eyes are shut closed because of the still dripping blood from her forehead. Her nose is also dripping red from probably a broken nose. Her face is scrunched in pain. Her mouth is half open but is filled with small rocks and dirt and blood. She coughs once again and spits everything from her mouth making her able to breathe properly. Wind begins to kneel away from the creek into the dry ground and curls up in a very tiny ball. Her arms wrapped around her knees protecting herself from the strong winds and from something else. Something is going on but I can't understand what. The way she reacted seemed a little unstable. I'm still able to hear the way she repeated my name over and over again. She just wasn't looking for me, but more like desperately reaching for me. She looked broken and paranoid.

Perhaps I'm not the only one who needs healing.

Guilt. She turns to me and I ignore her.

"Naruto," she whispers. Her voice is weak and broken. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Please make her shut up. Guilt. Guilt is the only thing I feel. I hurt her by trying to protect myself and I hurt her.

"I'm sorry. Can ya' please forgive me?" she opens her eyes and tries to find me, though I'm just a foot away from her. Locating me at last, she smiles when I nod. My guilt increases by just looking at her dirty opened wide gash across her forehead. Wind closes her eyes once again as the still persistent flowing of her blood covers her eyes and face again. She grabs a small part of her wet cloth and wipes her face.

I see her and I feel like killing myself.

When she raised her cloth to wipe her face, it rose up from her legs and I get a glimpse of her bruised, and very, but very anorexic knees and thighs. I can't even believe she is able to walk like that. She has no meat or muscle. How can she even support her small weight? I observe her and wonder where her supposed female curves are? Legs, two sticks barely standing. Hips, what hips? Stomach, just so noticeable ribs! Breast? none whatsoever. Shoulders? Two very pointy bones sticking out. Face? Ashy, sucked in cheeks, and dark circled eyes from lack of sleep (which reminds me of someone but can't really remember who), and a split opened forehead and a very twisted broken bloody nose.

And I let this happen.

For the past two days that I have been with Wind, I became very protective of her. She is sweet and awesome and innocent, and I promised that I would not let anyone hurt her. Unfortunately I did it without meaning to. Well I sort of did, but I just wanted to block her out of my mind because what she was saying was the truth and I didn't want to hear it. Why? Because I'm so stubborn! Stupid me and my stupid protective dead-mode!

I jerk away as a cold chilling sensation passes through left my cheek and temple. I open my eyes that I didn't know I had closed and stare at her searching eyes.

"Naruto," she starts. "I know you are in front of me, Naruto. You're coming and fading away. I can barely hear your breaths, so believe me I know you are close." She smiles, "But, I'm sorry to bring this up again, but you cannot go back. You know why?" I nod my head. "Because nothing will change." Those words rip me apart. "They did not know how to appreciate you when you were alive. Do you think that now they will, knowing that you are dead?"

"No," I cracked. "They won't." Her sad smile breaks me too. I'm so stupid. Not only I allow her to get hurt but I also make her sad. "It's ok," I say while trying to smile. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I just got carried away." I smile and she smiles. I look at her forehead and it is still gushing out blood and there is some dried blood stuck to her eyes and face.

"Here," I stand up and offer her my only hand. She grabs it and for the first time I touch her hands. They are so calloused and tiny and cold. I guess I'm back to my emotional self, since I'm able to feel now.

"Thanks," she says as she begins to rise and once I let her small hand go, she stumbles dizzily. I intercept her way to the ground with my body and hug her close to me. My arms are able to circle her completely and even with my amputated arm and the size of my thirteen year old arms (well, one arm ion a half actually), I bet I could still circle my arms around her one more time. That's how skinny she is! Damn.

"Thanks again," she laughs like if becoming dizzy from lose of blood is absolutely normal in her everyday life. Maybe not lose of blood, but of malnutrition perhaps.

We walk to the small creek, where she had fallen and we kneel to the edge so that she could get washed. The water is finally running clean, but the sides where there used to be puddles of fresh, clean water, there are only puddles of blood. Wind cups some water in her tiny hands and pours it in her face, doing this repeatedly to wash off the blood. I wish I could help her, but what can I do? If I help her I'll probably do something stupid like pouring water with rocks and sand into her eyes or something like that.

A small, weak splash caught my attention. I search for its whereabouts and once I located it, it made my entails twist painfully. It was the lonely fish from earlier. The little fish that was trapped by some rocks is now completely away from the water. It is laying in a small puddle of blood in a mossy rock, like in a way of service and sacrifice, about to get its head chopped off and ready to become someone's dinner. I look away.

Wind is treating her split opened forehead while wincing and hissing at the pain. I look once again at the fish and it gives another weak heartfelt flap, and I look away instantly. Wind is grasping her nose in between her fingers with an expression of panic in her face. The fish's eyes are glassy, its skin dry and his mouth closing and opening, and I see it staring at me with panic too, waiting.

Wind is still preparing herself for the coming pain and I look at the fish again. Reaching my only good arm towards it, I grab and dearly hope that I wasn't too late. I know that they can survive long periods of time without water, but it does not mean that it is ok, they do not suffer. Fish do feel pain no matter what everybody thinks. This fish is suffering and needs help. As I hold it and feel the sticky red substance along with the soft yet roughness of its scales, I know what I have to do. The fish is still staring at me with what I assume hopeful and expectant eyes. I don't know if it is expecting me to save him or to possibly end his suffering in another way. Instead of thinking, I decide to slowly drop the fish in the now cool, clear water and watch as it slowly sinks to the ground and in dismay it does not move.

I look away, disappointed. With a final grunt coming from Wind, I witness her pain as well. Her eyes are tightly closed shut making the corner of her eyes form a-thousand wrinkles and with a final and quick twist of her wrist, she snaps her nose back into position with a loud crunch.

"Shit! Ohh…it hurts," she cries and squeals in a small voice. She opens her red eyes and stars laughing, just like that. "Man, glad that's over," cupping more water in her palms, she gets rid of the newly fresh blood dripping from her nose. Once she is done, she stares at me and asks, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look… I don't know…nauseated?" the corner of her lips begin to twitch and the corner of her eyes wrinkles in her barely suppress glee. I prefer to not say anything, because I know she is right. The sight of her blood and the almost dead fish made me become a little…queasy.

"Nah, I'm alright," just the thought of it again makes me make a face, which I know Wind saw because a little giggle escaped her lips. I can't do anything but smile at her. Even with her opened slash across her forehead, it does not deter her from being herself. She did not cry, nor did she blame me. She is right in front of me laughing at my face. Her eyes are not searching anymore, but focused on my eyes. She managed to break my walls of my dead-mode.

"Good," she stands up from near the creek dusting her more so than dirty piece of cloth and walks towards our little fire that we built yesterday. She sits there and starts to place more wood to start the fire up once again.

"Thank you," I decide to whisper.

"For what?" she says while working on twisting a long piece of stick with, what I believe, a couple of leaves and dry twigs and shredded plant fibers under it.

"For correcting me," she stopped on what she was doing and stared at me confused. "I know that what I was thinking was absurd," I take a deep unrequired breath and keep going. "I knew it all along, but for some reason I just wanted to believe –" pause, a good, long, pause trying to get my words right. "–I wanted to believe that it could be…different this time. I sort of imagined that they would want me back after coming back from the dead. That maybe, I could turn into this type of hero for defeating death itself." There it is my stupid idea, my idiotic fantasy of finally going back there and be…loved…for once.

"There is nothing wrong with dreaming, you know, unfortunately the outcome never comes as expected. It sometimes destroys us, but it sometimes gives us hope," turning back to her task at hand, she begins again, "Don't feel sad, actually I was thinking of something similar." I look at her strangely and she laughs at my expression.

"What do ya mean?" That can't be possible! Was she thinking what I was thinking? I highly doubt it.

"You know," she stares off into space. "–going back does sound very …appealing, doesn't it?" Her genuine smile fades and I can clearly see how it turns into devious smile and her eyes glinting with mischievous ideas.

"So what were you thinking?" I question suspiciously wanting to know her thought process. Her mischievous smile makes me think more the mystery that is Wind.

"I really would like to visit those bastards from where you come from," a chill-sensation runs down my spine, "–besides; didn't you say that the Chunin Exams are coming up?" Yeah, I remember telling her about it, and a happy sensation builds in my stomach at the idea that she was actually paying attention to me at that time when I was selfishly talking about myself.

"True, but –" suddenly both us stop what we were doing and stand so fast back to back in a stance. I felt it and I bet that she felt too. Just now, the worst feeling I have ever felt. It makes my breathing stop. It makes my throat contrast in fear. The sensation is horrible. The cold, chilling, deadly sensation, makes me want to hug Wind and make her stop this feeling. I feel all my limbs tremble. My fist is clenching and unclenching with the unknown.

"What's goin –"

"Shh," she shushes me hurriedly. The silence is deadly. No noise. No birds are singing. No crickets are chirping. I even feel that the loud creek has stopped flowing water with this feeling. I don't like this. It is frightening me. I feel Wind run past me and she is heading towards the creek. I don't know what to do, so I just stand there watching her. She gathers a huge bowl of water, from the ones she carries along with her pack, and carries it towards the fire that she was starting up. She quickly pours it and making the fire die. Then she kicks sand into the remaining and covers it completely and efficiently that it appears like it nothing happened there.

Another cold-chilling wave of chakra passes us, Wind turns to me running. Grabs my shirt and hauls me towards the densest part of the forest surrounding us. I don't know how far we go, the only thing I feel is the fear that creeps through my whole being drowning me into darkness. We run, or actually she runs and I'm being dragged. I can't move. I can't feel. I want this to stop, but it feels like forever.

I feel numb with fear.

I feel like putting a knife to my throat to make this feeling stop.

It feels lonely.

It feels so dark.

It feels like death.

* * *

A/N: New chapter! Sorry I took so long. I blame my lack of imagination and my housekeeping job.

I kind of turned Naruto into a big jerk, but it was kind of necessary. He was dead and alone for three years, and I believe that no matter how much of a positive type of person you are, time and life takes a toll in everyone.

OMG, can anybody guess what's coming? Can ya'? Haha

Please read and review, and tell me how I am doing. Also please tell me if I have any grammatical and spelling errors.


	10. Dark Chakra

Chapter 10: Dark Chakra

A/N: Hello peoples haha!

Well first off, for all of you who have been keeping up with my story: thank you and also I had to re-write my last chapter (chapter 9) because it was horrendous. It was not what I needed for my story. I re-wrote it, and even though it is not as satisfying as I wish it could be, it is kind of important for later chapters. I know, I know that I should not be asking for this, but it will be greatly recommended to go back and read the last chapter IF you are OK with it. If not, then I guess if you have any questions ask. After this chapter, new and unexpected things will come and I tried to drop some hints in my last chapter and there are key points that are rather important. So yeah…

Also Thank you White Hair and Violet Eyes for your review, it brought so much inspiration.

Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter, because it will lead to a series of interesting events. Also this will come as a surprise because the first part of this chapter is in Wind's POV! Awesome, isn't it?

Can't wait! XD

So on with my marvelous story haha

I do not own Naruto

* * *

_I feel numb with fear._

_I feel like putting a knife to my throat to make this feeling stop._

_It feels lonely._

_It feels so dark._

_It feels like death._

* * *

Run. Run. Run.

Get away from here!

My legs are shaking. My mind wants to shut down. Can't let it happen. I try to concentrate on anything from my grip in Naruto's shirt which drags him behind me and on my other hand the tightly holds the metal and rusty kunai just in case, as well as pain in my legs.

Blurs of green and brown and black rush past me. The branches and leaves hit my face constantly leaving a burning sting. I can already feel various lacerations on my exposed skin and the fresh and dried blood covering my body. The enormous trees block my way making my fist tremble in anticipation to splinter them completely for being in my way.

A silent roar penetrates the area and my ears ring with its dominating silence. I look back quickly to only see pure darkness coating amongst the forest ground and trees. It is not like any normal darkness of the night nor when falling asleep, instead a dark substance full of emotions overpowering anybody with fear and anger.

And it is coming for us.

Before turning back, a grayish cloud-like substance sprouts from the center of the dark cloud and a foul stench begins to invade my senses. My mind fogs rapidly and leaves me a world of mist, but no matter what I still don't stop running. Quickly, startling me in the process, a set of images rushes through my vision, and everything around me disappears.

My body is numb and I feel disoriented. I see nothing but darkness. Everything is cold and hard. The dripping of the small droplets of water rebound the walls drilling the sound in my head. The faint sound of footsteps catches my attention from my throbbing head and the increasing thumping of my heart. Light appears so suddenly that blinds me completely. Even with my eyes closed tight, I can still see the red-ish color burning me with its brilliance. Everything hurts.

A voice, I hear a voice. Can't hear what it says nor from who it comes from. I try to open my eyes, but they hurt so much. But my curiosity grows stronger and finally beats the pain, and I forcefully open my eyes. Pain explodes behind my eyes, but I try to ignore it. Light. Way too bright light. Can't take it. Before shutting my eyes, I catch the outline of something. Hands. They are coming closer. So does long dark hair. I wait for whatever it's coming. And I wait and wait. Then pain.

The burning feeling of running pain burns all the way, just when I'm about to let out a choking scream, a sturdy branch slaps my face with such force that I falter on my sprint. The blurs of green, brown and gray fill vision blinding me for a moment. My grip in Naruto's shirt shakes tremendously and the pain still burns in my veins.

What the fuck is this?

I need to get away from here. I can feel it. I can sense it. It's coming. It is reaching for us. It's closer.

Run faster. Legs, you have to move faster! We can do this. We got to get away. From this.

C'mon.

Run.

My legs are cramping. My chest heaves from my heavy sprint. The fear shakes my core. I tighten my grip on Naruto's shirt and haul him up on my shoulder to run faster. If this gets any closer, it can get Naruto first. I cannot allow that.

Once again the putrefying stench invades the area that comes from this _Thing _fogging my senses and burning my nose and lungs. It appears that it is trying to subdue us into their play...again.

Shit!

With the agonizing fear creeping through my whole being and the overwhelming gush of air hitting my face painfully turns this situation even worse. At this time, I don't really need the upset and angry voices proclaiming their anger. With just the ugly darkness coming for us is enough to make my skin crawl.

Please legs, don't give up on me. Naruto don't give up on me either. We can get away. I promise. I won't let this _thing_ get us.

I don't even know why it is here, but I won't stop and find out why right now. I have Naruto to protect.

Run. Damn it!

My feet get tangled with the heavy mess of roots sticking out from a humongous tree, tripping me to the ground face first and Naruto a few feet in front of me. I use whatever strength I have left to untangle myself as fast as I could and run with desperation and grab the heavy, freezing body of Naruto over my shoulder and start running once again. Regrettably, it was enough time for _it_ to barely graze the tips of my hair. A terrible feeling crawled all the way to the roots of my hair. The hairs of my back stand to an end. My eyes glaze with unwanted tears of pain and anger. The worst freezing chill runs over my body.

Run.

_It is coming. _

The voices from the wind scream in my ears. They are screaming in pain. They are warning me. They are also getting hurt by this. And I can't do anything about it.

I need to run. I need to outrun whatever the hell this is. I can't let Naruto get trap in this obscure darkness.

It is drowning me. Us.

I need to help Naruto. If I can't help the needy voices from the wind, then the least I could do is save Naruto from this.

Run.

With renewed strength, I speed faster away. By blocking the overwhelming darkness chasing us and the screaming voices, I manage to hear the busy streets of a nearby village. I'm heading there, but perhaps I shouldn't. If I go there and this cloud of darkness does not stop, it will reach the villagers and might hurt them. No! I would never forgive myself if they get hurt because I drove this _thing_ to them. But if I don't get somewhere, I won't last long. My previous fight with the Kyuubi drained me completely and I'm still low on blood.

Run shit!

If I don't decide now, it may cost me Naruto's life or other people's lives.

Shit!

I have to use it. There is not another option. I got to use it, even if it cost my life. I can't put others' lives in danger.

Clasping my grip more firmly on Naruto's shirt, and focusing everything in me, I lift my kunai and slice.

Run.

It is now or never.

~ OoO ~

I can't run. I can't move. It feels colder than usual. Can't think. Can't feel. It almost feels like when I was before I met Wind, but only worse. I hate this feeling. I hate it. It's foul. It makes me feel dirty. So dirty. Please, make it go away. Make the darkness go away.

Small warmth grabs me. A little spark of warmth began to make its way through my body, warming my lonely and dark core. I see light once again. I crave for it. I want that light. I don't want to be stuck in this darkness again. It's suffocating. It's lonely. Makes me want death.

_Naruto_.

Please help me sweet whisper. I don't want to be here.

_Naruto._

Take me with you.

_Come with me._

Yes, just take me away from this solitude.

_Come._

Yes.

_It's gone._

Forever?

…_for now…_

The light expands even further lightening this abysm. I want it. I reach for it. I wish to grasp it with my only dead-hand. I want to feel it. I want to feel that gentle warmth. Please give me light. Take this darkness away. Don't leave me here. I want to live.

"Naruto, come back!"

Eyes snapping open, arching my aching back, arms reaching for something immediately before it goes away, I grasp light. It is warm and makes me feel secure.

I'm out. I'm out of the darkness

…_for now…_

"Oh, thank whatever is up there that you are fine!"

Wind.

I breathe. I feel. I see. I hear. Good.

I feel my whole body tremble making my teeth rattle. Wind is also shaking. She is clinging to me too. Whatever the hell that was, it affected Wind as well.

I hug her for dear life, and she hugs me as well.

After what felt like hours, which it could might as well been, since the sky has darken already, we unclasp from each other's arms.

"You alright?" the still very concerned Wind asks.

"I don't know, you?"

"I believe so." Of course she has to be the strongest one of us. We untangle completely and she gives me her hand to stand up. As I grab her hand, I take notice of the barely visible massive wall that we have been reclining ourselves in. The last thing I remember was the being in the middle of nowhere. There was not a wall nearby that I remember.

"Where are we?" I wonder at loud. "What happened?"

"I'll explain everything… let me just rest for a second." She slowly sits back down with her knees bent in front of her and rested her arms and head on top, closes her eyes and lets an almost inaudible sigh. She looks tired, more than normal. Feeling guilty because of my lack of control, I sit on my bottom crisscrossing my legs beside her and just sit there like nothing happened…yeah right.

Taking a look at my surroundings, well what I can kind of see from this darkness, there is a rather large amount of trees surrounding the whole area a couple of meters from the wall. It seems like we are on the outsides of a village. Even though it is almost midnight, my sensitive ears can still pick on the voices of people from within the walls. A busy city, I believe.

I recline back to the wall and somewhat feel the cold slipping through my thin orange almost black shirt and navy blue sleeveless hoodie. It would've frozen my back already, but guess what? I'm dead and can't feel, so that's a plus. Smirking to myself at my idiotic jokes, I realize that the wall is made of concrete but it could also be made of steel from the freezing texture. Yep, a very important village that needs a strong protection from attackers, I wonder what village though.

A shift from my left catches my attention making me tense from the unexpected. Nothing. There is nothing, but I can still sense something dangerous. Not as terrible as what we just experience but something bad. Whatever we found in the forest was not something to joke about. I can still feel the agonizing fear and overwhelming darkness.

I clench my fist tightly. My hands begin to shake at just remembering. Another noise to my left and soft growl tenses me up and I ready my fist for anything. A cold hand clasps my trembling fist, startling me senseless. Looking up, I see Wind with a worried expression on her face. Her face has paled and sunken considerably. Her hair looks almost burnt and even untamable than ever. She looks… spent and wasted.

"Wind," I begin staring off into space. "whatta fuck was that?"

"I don't know," was her honest answer. We stay silent for a couple of minutes trying to compose ourselves from this whole thing.

Letting out a soft sigh, I turn to her again, "Tell me."

"I don't know what it was, I… it was something so different than what I have ever witnessed." Just the fact that Wind says it was different then whatever that was must have been something _different_, with her and her rare gift and alll, but really who am I to call different. An almost dead boy, with and almost dead concealed monster, yeah who am I to call her different. Rambling, I know. I can't help it, I'm scared out of my mind.

"I carried you over my shoulder to run faster, but the Dark Chakra was reaching for us. It was chasing us. I didn't know what to do, so I just kept running." She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly wrecking multitudes of shiver throughout her whole body. She is shaking! I notice as her shoulders shake with emotions, fear perhaps, and her arms are covered with sweat and goosebumps along with several bleeding cuts. I have never seen her in such estate and it is causing me to fear this Dark Chakra even more. "I ran as fast as I could, but it was not enough. I needed for us to get away, but I didn't know how. Even…even the voices were scared. I couldn't decipher what they all said, but I knew that they were warning me and wanted me to help them…, but I couldn't. I couldn't save them…

"Off into the distance I heard a village a couple miles away." Another deep breath and she stares off into the trees unfocusedly. "I could've just run to a different direction hoping to sidetrack _it_ so that we could escape safe and sound or… I might as well exhaust myself and let _it_ catch us and do whatever it wanted." Thank the gods she didn't. I really do not want to think of the possibilities from getting caught by _that_.

"My second option was to run towards the village and hope for the Dark Chakra to just…I don't know… stop because of the amount of people. But there was also the possibility that I could risk everyone by bringing the Dark Chakra to them."

I look behind me and the wall is still there. The wall. No. Dread pours buckets all over me. She chose the village.

What happened then?

"Wind, where are we?" I close my eyes in dreadful anticipation. This people may be… is that why she looks so miserable? I try to control myself before jumping into conclusions. I tend to do that a lot and I always make a fool of myself.

"I chose to come to the village instead." No, please, don't tell me they are… " –after I managed to keep _It _ back." Damn it! I thought…

"So the villagers are…"

"Yeah, chill about it. They are fine. I would've never come here unless I had made sure the Dark Chakra was no way near." Oh gods, nothing happened to them. A silent sigh escapes me, but the relief is heaven. "I needed to save you."

Her next words bring guilt into my system. She was so worried about me that she probably decreased her life span by the way she looks, and I did what? Dead-faint and let her slow her pace down while she could've saved herself sooner. The idea that I'm a huge burden for her makes me want to tear up a bit. What a shame, really. I have always heard that males have to protect their female companion no matter what. In my case though, she has to protect me. Her. The girl with half her body in the grave by the way she looks, maybe almost up to her neck! Seriously, and me? The dead boy who does 'feel' and can endure more 'pain' faints while the alive human runs to save us both. Pathetic.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes…for whatever reason.

"Why? I think I should be the one saying sorry here!" Indignation and humiliation filling me. How could she say sorry. She saved my dead life and hurts herself and she says sorry. Damn with that girl. I know I'm being a little irrational, but I can't help it. I can't do anything. I'm useless.

"I –I –"

"What?"

"We are at the nearest village." She looks at me with pleading eyes. Like if she did something wrong.

"So..." like if I care where we are. "Wait… the nearest village you say?" I say calmly, realization drugging me slowly. She nods timidly.

Too many trees. Concrete-steel wall. Oh gods.

"Oh shit."

"Sorry."

"Me too."

Konoha.

* * *

A/N: SORRY! I apologize for being gone a few months. I was just lacking inspiration and so many things have happen since. For one, I started college already! I quit my housekeeping job. First ask me to be there assistant manager, and then they were kicking me out temporarily. The majority of rooms that I cleaned had bedbugs and I unknowingly brought them to my apartment. I told them and they said that I could not go back to work until I had a paper sign by my landlord saying that the apartment was bedbug-free. So I was like, "You know what? I quit!" and I left. Well, I could not afford an exterminator, but I did do a treatment that cost me less than 20 bucks and helped a lot. Which now my apartment is bedbug-free!

Anyhow, OMG they are in Konoha! That was actually not meant to happen, but it eventually did. So I decided to keep on writing and let my mind take me to wherever it wants to take me.

Well, I hope you could forgive me for making you wait, and I hope you like this chapter, and Wind's POV. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm trying to make this story as interesting as possible, so feedback would be very well appreciated!


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